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Jul 26, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Ebru Yildiz

Indie rock musician, Mitski, has announced her new album, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, and shared a music video for its lead single, “Bug Like an Angel.” This new LP is due out September 15 via Dead Oceans. Watch the Noel Paul-directed video below, followed by the upcoming record’s tracklist and cover artwork.

Mitski wrote the songs for The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We in bursts over the years, pulling from the little moments that give life its depth. The LP was recorded at the Bomb Shelter and Sunset Sound Studio, and incorporates an orchestra arranged and conducted by Drew Erickson, as well as a full choir of 17 people arranged by Mitski. Co-produced by Patrick Hyland, the album spans over a plethora of scores, drawing inspiration from Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Western scores to Carter Burwell’s Fargo soundtrack.

Mitski refers to this record as her “most American album,” as it repeatedly asks the same question—without love, is there anyone here? She feels as if life would be easier without hope, soul, or love, but when she closes her eyes and thinks about what’s truly hers, all she sees is love. “The best thing I ever did in my life was to love people,” Mitski says. “I wish I could leave behind all the love I have, after I die, so that I can shine all this goodness, all this good love that I’ve created onto other people.”

“Bug Like an Angel” pulls in cosmic paradoxes, as Mitski wonders about the divine intricacies in the ordinary. Its booming chorus of angels bellowing “Family!” pays homage to what it means to be loved transcendently. Its music video explores community and an honest look at self-destruction as the song’s narrator is depicted as a woman staggering and collapsing outside of a bar.

Mitski’s Laurel Hell was featured on our Top 100 Albums of 2022 list.

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We Tracklist:

1. Bug Like an Angel
2. Buffalo Replaced
3. Heaven
4. I Don’t Like My Mind
5. The Deal
6. When Memories Snow
7. My Love Mine All Mine
8. The Frost

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