Mitski’s eighth studio album, , release of Nothing’s About to Happen to Me feels less like a return and more like a deepening of the artist’s ongoing exploration of isolation, identity, and the complicated desire to simply disappear. Following 2023’s critically acclaimed The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, Mitski isn’t reinventing her sound so much as refining it, leaning into a bracingly honest and often darkly humorous examination of the self.
The first single, “Where’s My Phone?,” released last month, signaled a shift towards a more robust alt-rock sound, recalling the lo-fi fuzz of her earlier work, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, while also hinting at a Britpop influence. The accompanying music video, a striking and unsettling visual narrative featuring Mitski as a rural mother fiercely protecting her family, immediately established the album’s thematic core: a yearning for disconnection and a willingness to defend that space, even through increasingly violent means. References to classic works like Rapunzel, Grey Gardens, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, and Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle paint a picture of deliberate self-imposed exile.
That theme of wanting to vanish permeates the entire album. On “In a Lake,” Mitski frames a move to the city not as a pursuit of opportunity, but as a strategic retreat, a means of erasing one’s past. The lyrics, “Some days you just go the long way to stay off memory lane,” encapsulate this desire for obscurity. Similarly, “Instead of Here” articulates a longing to be “where nobody can reach,” while “I’ll Change for You” explores the lengths one might go to in order to be palatable to another, even if it means sacrificing one’s own identity. The song’s lyrics, “I’ve been trying to start trying to be like someone you’d still like / Maybe if I could, you already would,” are particularly poignant.
Musically, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me is a compelling blend of styles. The album seamlessly moves between the raw energy of alt-rock, the intimacy of acoustic lamentation, and moments of grander orchestration. The song “Rules,” for example, juxtaposes lyrics filled with hopelessness against a surprisingly upbeat, 1970s easy-listening backdrop, creating a disorienting yet captivating effect. This sonic contrast underscores the album’s central tension: the struggle between despair and the desire for something more.
Mitski’s relationship with fame has always been complex, and the album seems to grapple with the pressures of public life. Her Wikipedia page even includes a section dedicated to her “views on her fanbase,” a testament to the challenges she’s faced navigating celebrity. The unexpected success of her 2023 single, “My Love Mine All Mine,” which sold 4 million copies in the US and topped charts globally, may have further fueled this desire for anonymity. However, the album’s yearning for solitude appears to stem less from the burden of fame and more from the fallout of a difficult relationship, explored in songs like “Cats” and “If I Leave.”
The album isn’t solely focused on personal turmoil, however. The lyrics often touch on broader themes of disconnection and the overwhelming nature of the modern world. In a time defined by constant connectivity and a relentless news cycle, the desire to “cut yourself off completely” feels particularly resonant. Mitski taps into this collective anxiety, offering a soundtrack for those who feel overwhelmed and yearn for a simpler existence.
Tracks like “Dead Women” are both horrifying and humorous, with Mitski imagining herself as a ghost observing the distorted narratives others create about her life. “That White Cat,” meanwhile, finds existential weight in the mundane act of a cat marking its territory, questioning the very notion of ownership and belonging. These moments of wry observation prevent the album from becoming overly self-indulgent, grounding the emotional weight in a relatable, often sardonic, perspective.
Nothing’s About to Happen to Me isn’t an album that offers easy answers or tidy resolutions. It’s a messy, complex, and deeply personal exploration of the human condition. But within that messiness lies a profound beauty and a surprising amount of humor. Mitski continues to prove herself as a uniquely gifted songwriter, capable of crafting melodies that linger long after the music stops and lyrics that cut straight to the heart. The album’s 35 minutes are, a strangely delightful and rewarding listen, solidifying Mitski’s position as one of the most important songwriters of her generation.
Nothing’s About to Happen to Me is released on .
