Mitski - “Laurel Hell”
The Japanese-American singer-songwriter releases her 6th album. With every release, Mitski Miyawaki’s (simply known as Mitski) fan base grew. The theatrical art pop of her earlier work and the later indie rock approach came together on the musician’s biggest album yet: "Be The Cowboy". With "Laurel Hell", Mitski dives into the world of 80’s-inspired synth pop. It results in a very keyboard-driven album. Tracks like "The Only Heartbreaker" and "Love Me More" contain that bright and choppy 80’s sound. The lyrics, on the other hand, have a darker theme on this record. Mitski addresses her artistic struggles, isolation and a failed relationship. It’s all brought in quite compelling metaphors. However, the album just doesn’t match the quality of previous records. Despite the 3 strong tracks that "Laurel Hell" starts off with, other songs feel a bit underwhelming. It lacks the memorable hooks and distinctive melodies we normally get from a Mitski project. Especially, the slow-paced "Everyone" and earlier mentioned “Love Me More" are kinda uninspired. Still, this isn’t a particularly bad album. There’s always enough sincerity in Mitski’s songwriting to makes her work worth a listen.
Best track: “Working for the Knife”
Rating: 6,5
Released: February 4, 2022
Dead Oceans
Share your thoughts!
#albumreview#albumreviews#musicreview#musiccritic#musicblog#musicpage#vinyl#vinylcollection#rateyourmusic#aoty#albumcoverart#alternativemusic#indiemusic#indiepop#synthpop#artpop#newwavemusic#mitski