Mitski’s newest album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, released February twenty-seventh, entering her discography as her eighth studio album. It features eleven tracks, all of which encapsulate themes of loneliness, regret, and heartbreak with melancholic instrumentals. She succeeds in conveying these ideas through both easily digestible and complex writing, as well as her ability to connect with the audience emotionally using familiar themes.
This album follows the release of The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, which debuted at No. 12 on the Sept. 30-dated Billboard 200. The success of this album and Mitski’s reputation for composing similarly acclaimed works led to the high anticipation for Nothing’s About to Happen to Me. I have been listening to Mitski for years, and the release of this album has given me the chance to review and interpret a few of the songs that stood out to me.
In a Lake
“In a Lake” opens the album describing an unappealing life in a small town, in which “It’s like one brand of soap’s sold in town / ‘Cause anyone you get close to / Smells like your first time around.” Using this image, she depicts the static environment and the unwanted memories it brings. The following lyric states, “But in a lake you can backstroke forever / the sky before you, the dark right behind / And in a big city, you can start over / The lights all around you, the dark safe inside.”
The lake represents the small town where she feels that she can “backstroke forever,” the darkness of her past in the lake surrounding her as she stares up to the sky, which symbolizes future opportunities. In a big city, the light of these opportunities surround her, and the darkness of her past stays inside. Overall, “In a Lake” stands as a meaningful opening to the album, using the figurative image of the lake to illustrate themes of regret and past mistakes.
I’ll Change For You
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Mitski comments on, “I’ll Change For You,” stating, “I just wanted to write a song about being pathetic. I think everyone should get a chance to be in their feelings, drunk call their ex, beg them to take them back, say, ‘I’ll Change for You, I’ll do anything.’ There should be a song for that.” The song includes the following lyrics, “‘Cause I’ll do anything / For you to love me again / If you don’t like me now / I will change for you,” which most effectively illustrates a love no longer reciprocated and Mitski’s willingness to change herself to any extent to regain that love.
She describes the song as one that comes down to the listener’s level during weak moments like a breakup. The track includes one of my favorite instrumentals from Mitski to date. Paired with the straightforward yet emotional lyrics describing the heartbreak and longing after a breakup, “I’ll Change For You” is easily among Mitski’s best work.
Dead Women
“Dead Women” focuses on women’s autonomy, where Mitski covers how society often dehumanizes them. In an interview with Dazed, Mitski comments, “I wrote this song in anger. I’m not saying everyone all the time, but sometimes, it does feel like they don’t want women to be full, thinking humans. They kind of just want baby-making servants, so that’s kind of what I wrote the song about.” In the song, she states, “While I dream of flying, stab me twenty-seven times / Ransack the house for what you’ll auction, what you’ll keep / Then embalm me up ‘cause you’re hosting the viewing / Saying, ‘She gave her life so we could have her in our dreams.’”
She uses death to represent a woman who cannot think or feel for herself, and ransacking her house to auction or keep certain aspects to fabricate an idealized version of her. The line, “she gave her life so we could have her in our dreams,” is spoken by a figure representing society, taking this idea of the “ideal” woman that cannot think for herself and saying that she willingly gave her autonomy to submit to these expectations. The statement “while I dream of flying,” along with the use of the word “dreams” to illustrate what is expected of women describes how they are held up to unrealistic and dehumanizing standards, such as being expected to marry and have kids above all else. “Dead Women” is an effective commentary on women’s role in society, and features my favorite orchestral music from the entire album.
Rules
“Rules” follows similar themes of heartache and loneliness, but focuses on conforming to a partner’s “rules” in an unfavorable relationship. Mitski writes, “Number one, I’ll come over / I’ll be dressed like your best idea / Number two, you’ll be gentle / Then number three, you will ruin me / Number four, I’m nobody’s anyone anymore / So five, I’ll be alone for a while / But I’m only crying ’cause it feels good.”
These lyrics describe how her own self-worth relies on other’s approval of her. The “rules” represent the strict ideals she abides by to appeal to her partner, as well as the course of her relationship. The lyrics express the inevitable breakup, resulting in Mitski being alone again and the relief that came with it. The impactful message of “Rules” and its composition make it one of my favorite songs on the album.
When this album was released, it quickly became one of my favorites. Its instrumentals stood out upon my first listen, and re-listening and interpreting the meanings of these songs only made me enjoy them more. Mitski created high expectations for her work after The Land is Inhospitable And So Are We, and Nothing’s About to Happen to Me exceeded them flawlessly.
