New Album Review: Mitski- Laurel Hell

Mitski- Laurel Hell

Label: Dead Oceans

Producer: Patrick Hyland

On her sixth studio record, alternative darling and enigma, Mitski takes her uniquely yet bewildering introspective style to thunderous new levels of sonic wonder and emotional power. Laurel Hell incorporates a magnetic wall of sound centered around insatiable synths and commanding electric piano strokes, and while this added production intensity has easily drowned out plenty of indie singers before her- especially one as deceptively soft-spoken as Mitski- she and producer Patrick Hyland are far too intelligent to fall into that trap. The swelling production choices only enhance the quiet urgency and haunting sentiments at the heart of each performance, with gorgeous centerpieces like “Heat Lightning” and “Working For the Knife” capable of leaving the listener in staggering states of beautiful devastation. The record really takes flight however when Mitski fully indulges in the crashing synth anthemia of tracks like “Love Me More”, a desperate plea from a lovesick soul crippled by the monotony of every day society, or the deliriously out-of-nowhere disco romp, “That’s Our Lamp”, which is as thrilling of an album finale likely to emerge all year. But no track in this vein is as stupendously enthralling as “The Only Heartbreaker”, a modern New-Wave showstopper and recent AAA chart-topper that sounds like a lost Kate Bush gem and makes Mitski just as deserving of the mainstream status that Billie Eilish has achieved in recent years. Frankly, it makes “Bad Guy” sound like a meek, cowering kitten by comparison. Laurel Hell is a menacing and entertaining piece of art, destined for indie greatness, and worthy of much more.

Track Listing:

1. “Valentine, Texas” (Mitski)
2. “Working for the Knife” (Mitski)
3. “Stay Soft” (Mitski)
4. “Everyone” (Mitski)
5. “Heat Lightning” (Mitski)
6. “The Only Heartbreaker” (Mitski, Dan Wilson)
7. “Love Me More” (Mitski)
8. “There’s Nothing Left for You” (Mitski)
9. “Should’ve Been Me” (Mitski)
10. “I Guess” (Mitski)
11. “That’s Our Lamp” (Mitski)