Album Review: Nothing's About to Happen to Me by Mitski
- Maddie Pieper
- 3 hours ago
- 8 min read
I cannot listen to Mitski in the winter, since I think terrible things will happen to my mental health, but I listened to this album anyway. I'm suddenly really glad I named this blog "The Breakdown" because I feel like that's what this album did to me. My rating of this album: 10/10, and so genuinely painful that I don't know if I can listen to some of these songs again.
Brief Background
I've been listening to Mitski for what feels like forever. Growing up, it was really incredible to see a Japanese American musician (like me!). She was (and still is) a major role model and has really impacted how I think about my cultural identity, lyricism, and music, all in the best ways. It's been really interesting growing older, returning to some of her songs, and remembering how I understood them as a teenager and now how I understand them as an adult. Somewhat trippy, somewhat nostalgic, still very devastating in a beautiful way. Yay!
Currently, I'm listening to this album the way I always listen to Mitski: at 4 am, with no working brain cells after writing papers, and so sleep-deprived I genuinely think I've found a new brink of insanity to fall into. Somehow, that part has remained constant over the years.
Now I actually talk about the album
Nothing's About to Happen to Me is (I think) Mitski's first official concept album. According to a press release (that I couldn't find, but I tried), we get to see her “immersing herself in a rich narrative whose main character is a reclusive woman in an unkempt house.” Very relatable.
Mitski normally does albums in genre pairs, so I'm expecting this album to be a bit of a follow-up to The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. TLIISAW is actually probably my least favorite Mitski album (feel free to yell at me), but only because I like all of the other ones more. It's still a great album!!! "The Frost" gets me every time!!!
Anyway, let's talk about this one. I won't be doing any chord analysis today because my brain is tired. It's tempting, because Mitski's arrangements can get pretty complicated, but I'll try to keep it simple and discuss organization/production more.
In a Lake
I cannot figure out how to change the color of these bullet points, but writing in pink hurts my eyes, sorry everyone for the contrast.
My friend said this album had a "weirdly medieval vibe," and with this song, I completely agree. I think it's the banjo and the accordion. Or the flugelhorn and French horn.
We have some beautiful orchestration that feels like a very nice transition from the warmth of the The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, but this is definitely leaning more into "bard" territory rather than gothic country. Is gothic folk a genre?
The lyrics, of course, are sad. I'm not sure if the "big city" reference connects to the lyrics of "Brand New City" on Lush, but I want it to because I love references. She's probably just talking about cities, though.
There's a major orchestral burst at the end that surprised me. The lead-up is just a bunch of random city sounds, like people talking and cars honking, and then we get this marching snare and a bunch of string runs.
It feels somewhat triumphant, but also has some chaotic, bursting energy that makes me slightly nervous about what's to come. Excellent opener!
Where is my Phone?
So true, where is my phone? If the last song was a beautiful medieval ballad where you're walking around a calm lake, this one is like if some sea monster burst out of the lake and grabbed you. I, for one, love an album that gives me whiplash when I listen to it, so we're off to a fantastic start.
We have some big fuzzy guitars and drums, and this song feels like it would fit into some of her past albums, like Bury Me at Makeout Creek. Those guitars are spikier, though, and these are warmer in a way I can't describe. IDK if it's saturation, just EQ, or what.
Then we get an overwhelming number of vocal stacks! What is this dissonant choir doing here? There are also these fun high-pitched feedback shrieks that add to the build.
Now for a big fuzz lead vocal ending, as all the instruments merrily march along into some crazy descent into madness. Excellent!
Side note: This was the lead single for the album, and I feel like it differs from the other songs and was an interesting choice. It was a really cool music video, though it did terrify me slightly and somehow made this song even more intense.
Choosing this as the lead single has sort of made me reflect more on what I think the album's core theme is. It feels very raw and messy, as all Mitski albums do, just from a different angle. I think it grapples with expectations, belonging, isolation, and trying to remain true to yourself while you also try to figure out what's even going on. Some songs feel a little pathetic, guilty, or ugly, but they all feel very honest to a degree that definitely surprised me, given that this is a concept album.
Cats
So immediately after that chaotic ending, we have a nice, slow, heartbreaking little ballad.
Listened to this while typing and nearly started weeping. That’s enough of that.
I'm trying to be brave and write something through my tears, but this song is actually devastating. She did not have to bring the cats into this. Why would she do this?
Anyway, listen to this one at your own risk.
If I Leave
Yeah, we're just all sad now. Except this music video is so creepy and has clowns in it!!!
This song touches on themes of feeling understood, codependency, and, in my interpretation, mental health as well.
I really like how the song started out with the bass and drums; it kinda feels like "I Will". There's a really slow build with the guitar, but we don't get a big chorus. Instead, everything kicks in at the bridge, and we get some massive guitar. There are some of the high-pitched screeches before we enter the bridge, which might be a bit of a theme throughout the album.
Then we just drop back down again in intensity. The mixing on this song is actually fantastic. Augh!!!
Dead Women
This song is haunting. Like chilling.
I don't often talk about lyrical interpretation, since I think that's best left to listeners to decide for themselves, but in my opinion, this song definitely addresses the loss of women's autonomy. Specifically, how, when they die, their narrative and humanity are twisted and degraded, as they can no longer speak for themselves. The lyrics are brutal; there's a constant theme of being used and objectified, and of a truth that's all corrupted.
There's still the same album theme of big builds pulling us into the ending of this song, but this one is just so haunting.
This is probably one of my favorites on the album because it's so evocative, but I actually don't know how often I could handle listening to it. Oof.
Instead of Here
Okay, this album is devastating. This song touches on a lot of really dark themes and numbness, detachment, and isolation. This actually might be one of the darkest Mitski songs I've heard, and that's honestly saying a lot.
Arrangement-wise, this song feels really close to TLIIASAW, but thematically it should 100% be on this album. I don't know if TLIIASAW got this close to this lyrical degree of sadness; it feels like "Last Words of a Shooting Star" if I had to pick anything.
The contrast between the lyrics and the pretty upbeat instrumental makes it worse, somehow. I'll let you all draw your own lyrical interpretations, but ouch. This one was really painful.
I’ll Change For You
This song has some warm, jazzy, bossa nova vibes, but it's no less lyrically devastating than every single other song on this album. I feel like "In a Lake" and "Where's My Phone" are actually happy in comparison.
This song is really beautiful and really lets her vocals shine. I actually haven't talked much about her vocals, but she's always been a really technical, incredible vocalist.
She said she wanted to write a song about "being pathetic" in an interview with BBC Radio, and yes, this song feels like a drunk phone call to an ex. It was her second single from the album and is a current fan favorite for good reason.
Rules
Okay, we are finally somewhere more upbeat, but I'm sure the lyrics are still brutal. They are. Awesome. I knew this would happen. I'm not sure why I thought I could survive listening to and writing about this album.
Mitski loves short songs and does not care that we want to hear more. This song is 2 minutes and 36 seconds long, and there's no real repetitive chorus except for the numbers at the beginning and the end.
At least we have some bright brass call-and-response for a lovely little instrumental break, just so we feel slightly less devastated about this entire album. Augh.
Oh nice, there's this chaotic little ending bit, that's fun!
The White Cat
I love this song, it's so good. The bit of "What do you hold onto?" is so good.
There's this consistent, repetitive drumbeat throughout the song that gives it all its momentum. When the instruments and chanting kick in, it flows really well. But it still really lets Mitski's vocals shine throughout each verse. Perfect.
Definitely one of my favorites on the album, it's cool and fun in an existential Mitski way.
Charol's Obol
This song feels guilty, heartbreaking, but also somewhat healing. It has a relatively positive ending, which every other song thus far most certainly does not.
I really love the violin on this song, and the drum brushes are also nice. The song feels very comforting, a sharp contrast to some of the more horrifying songs on this album.
My favorite part of this song is absolutely the background vocals and "oohs". They really set the entire tone, and they're just so pretty to listen to.
Lightning
This song is a great closer. I feel like the build, the perfect bassline, and reverbed vocals are reminiscent of her past work. We once again have a beautiful little descent, but it’s less chaotic than “Where is my Phone?”. It’s like a slow, inevitable ending. The synths are also very Bury Me At Makeout Creek or even Be the Cowboy.
This is absolutely my favorite song on the album, and there's really no contest.
The album really hammers home the theme of death, but this song at least feels more like rebirth or choosing to relive things. It also feels like there's a certain peace in surrender, which fits with the lyrics of "Heat Lightning" from Laurel Hill.
I could listen to the lead-up to the bridge and the bridge itself another 10000 times. It's so good, and it seems like she's embracing the darker, more mournful parts discussed throughout the album. I'm not sure whether this acceptance is good or bad, but I can tell you I adore this song.
The little synth and violin part at the end of the bridge is so good. The strings are also so good. I would not change a thing about this song. It's perfect.
I would probably give this album a 9/10 without this song, but it's literally 10000/10 because of this song. I'm obsessed with it and will have it on repeat for a good while.
Conclusion
This album was beautiful and heartbreaking. Everything hurts. I'm not sure if I can listen to several of these songs ever again. I wholeheartedly recommend listening to this album if you're feeling mentally stable enough to do so, because it's stunning, but it will pull out your heart and step on it. Overall, I think Mitski has done a fantastic job (as always), and I hope she releases the next album in the summer rather than the winter because I don't know if I can handle more of this.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to bother me or submit requests to @maddiepiepermusic on Instagram. :D
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