Mitski’s return with her seventh studio album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, is a sly but familiar ode to her exceptional artistry and the varied sounds of her storied career. The record is quintessentially Mitski in a peculiar way — whilst she conducts her classic synthesis of genres and sounds so that in their intrigue they never supersede the importance of her own lyrical voice, the album is largely resonant with sonic ideas that are inward in their reference to disparate corners of her existing discography. In this vein, the album’s track list is rustic in its curation, much akin to the experimental randomness of her first two records; something that had been, for better, eliminated in favour of conscious and cohesive projects with the growth of her stature.
It is safe to say that the three songs on either flank are the strongest on offer, with ‘In a Lake’ instantly joining the ranks of Mitski’s greatest hits. A gorgeously orchestrated ballad with strings and drama for days, it erupts as drums and horns that engulf the lonely cityscape of Mitski’s description in a mad glee, the flurry emptying as pattering footsteps making way for the record’s stomping lead single, ‘Where’s My Phone?’. Despite being the weaker pre-release taste, the track evokes greater kindness in the album’s scheme, as an otherwise slow-burning experience. ‘Cats,’ a lovesick ballad that depicts Mitski in an attempt to hold a waning lover, follows as a truly splendid song. On the album’s other end, the raucous ‘That White Cat’ is a humorous narrative in which Mitski explores impermanence with nihilism, whilst bringing a band-focused version of the Americana present on the final tracks of her last LP. ‘Charon’s Obol’ continues this sonic trend of folk and americana whilst evoking the “losing dogs” Mitski continues to bet on. ‘Lightning’ is electric as a closer and is reminiscent of Mitski’s rock influences on Bury Me at Makeout Creek.
The album’s greatest lull sits in its very middle, with ‘If I Leave’ attempting an unsatisfying repetition of a mid-song brouhaha à la ‘Texas Reznikoff,’ weakened by its drab and dragging drums. ‘Rules’ is uncomplicated pastiche and pales in comparison to Mitski’s previously adroit utilisation of similar tropes, for example in, ‘Nobody’. However, the redeeming presence of tracks ‘Instead of Here’ and the single ‘I’ll Change for You’ cannot be overstated. The pair exemplify Mitski’s greatest strength as a songwriter and producer, in presenting a curious yet deceptively simple love-ridden vision in song. The timely inclusion of a party’s clink in the gorgeous bossa nova instrumental of the latter single sounds most endearingly like a tipsy and bashful smile; an easily ignored but firm reminder of Mitski’s personhood as it persists through her catalogue.