Mitski Miyawaki

Mitski writes powerful songs about personal longing. Her theatrical approach resonates with her seated audience as she prolongs gestures and silences throughout each track.

As it would be easy to characterize her as the poet laureate of young adulthood in the 21st century, her fan base is much narrower; mostly comprising young Asian women and queer people. Still, her songs feature squalling indie rock along with ambient ballads and personal symbolism that transcend genre.

The Land Is Inhospitable

Mitski is an eclectic composer – her extensive discography is testament to this. From chamber pop in Lush to puberty 2’s unrestrained aggression and left-field synths in Laurel Hell, Mitski’s songs span the gamut of emotions.

Yet she remains consistent in her gentle approach, even while developing greater proficiency at conveying her most honest ideas – something which is evident on her seventh album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.

On September 15, this record saw 33-year-old Morgana strip her sound down to its essence, drawing from more acoustic and folky influences for inspiration while building transcendent songs. This stand-out record seems to capture what it means to be female today: bold, powerful songs that embrace life’s complexity in an unforgettable fashion; creating something truly unforgettable.

Bury Me at Makeout Creek

Mitski’s first two albums explored themes of change, heartbreak and insecurity typical of early adulthood; her third effort, Bury Me at Makeout Creek takes a bold step forward by moving away from strings towards electric guitar rock – taking listeners through an altogether more mature phase in Mitski’s development as an artist.

Mitski dives head first into relationships and their complications with an honesty that allows listeners to engage fully in her narrative. Her songs capture the heartbreak, loneliness, and regret associated with breakups as powerfully as years of training allow.

Be the Cowboy

Mitski Miyawaki has long been known for exploring feelings of loneliness and heartache through song, but Be the Cowboy takes things one step further. Instead of striving for an ideal, un-lonely life, Mitski embraces her own solitude to transform it into something positive.

Mitski uses her fifth album to introduce an alternative persona for herself – one which either responds to music critics’ label of her as a sad girl, or simply develops further actorly songwriting techniques. Writing in character, creating an airtight barrier against intrusive personal inquiries; or pushing instrumental sounds into unexpected corners for songs which sound more like show tunes than anything else she has done previously.

Be the Cowboy marked an enormous step forward for Mitski after more than a decade of baroque pop, folk, and art rock music. Expanding her palette while refining her methods, it ensured Mitski would no longer be cast as just another singer who favors guitar distortion – Mitski is now recognized as an artist who validates millennial women’s voices through composition.

Laurel Hell

Mitski returns with another synthesizer-driven, 80s rock record, exploring what it means to both love your art and be wary of the risks of stardom. Her previous songs about Southern Appalachian rhododendron thickets known as laurel hells have provided inspiration.

Mitski weaves this theme throughout her latest project, which may well be her most personal to date. After three years and the critical success of Be the Cowboy, Mitski grapples with how to balance artistic vulnerability with expectations associated with being one of music‘s hottest young artists. Her latest record’s title suggests an internal struggle between desire for romantic love and emotional openness; something Mitski articulates unflinchingly throughout this set of songs that ultimately deliver powerful yet heartbreaking music.