Laurel Hell is Mitski’s long-awaited sixth studio album. It was released on February 4th, 2022, and was a major hit among fans and indie-lovers alike. With the album only having eleven tracks in total, Mitski shows us that this was worth the wait.
Starting with what I consider one of her most impressive openers, “Valentine, Texas,” she sets a very hopeful scene for the rest of the album. Unfortunately, that hopefulness is not here to stay as Mitski crushes our childhood dreams with “Working for the Knife;” a song to remind us that we are all a slave to “the man” in some way or another. Miraculously, Mitski relieves us with one of her few upbeat songs, “Stay Soft,” which instructs us to either harden up or get eaten. After that comes the songs “Everyone” and “Heat Lightning,” which both sound like that feeling you get while looking out of a window at 3 a.m. by yourself while your neighbor is having the rager of the century next door. Then comes “The Only Heartbreaker” and “Love Me More,” the two songs you should play if you want to feel like the most desirable person in the world while simultaneously not being able to achieve some fulfillment in your love life. Luckily, There’s Nothing Left for You is directly after those so it can bring you back down a few pegs and remind you of losing your first love.
Nearing the end of the album, Mitski gives us “Should’ve Been Me,” her catchiest song filled with 80’s synth and the strong presence of resentment. Then comes “I Guess” which, while it is the shortest song on the album, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s the most painful. In a shocking twist, the closer, “That’s Our Lamp,” is another upbeat song. This is specifically unusual because Mitski tends to end her albums with some of the most soul-crushing songs you’ve ever listened to. But while “That’s Our Lamp” isn’t inherently soul-crushing, it still brings the hurt with lyrics like “you say you love me” and “cause you just don’t like me” being only two lines apart.
