There are select sounds that transport me back to a very specific time of my life, and the longing and heartwrenching lyrics of Mitski are one of them. The soundtrack for hours and hours of my recent life has been filled with Mitski, so her newest album, “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me,” came at the perfect time. Mitski started releasing her indie masterpieces in 2012 while studying music in college, with her debut album “Lush.” Since “Lush,” Mitski has released seven albums, 23 singles and won the Libera Award for Record of the Year with “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” in 2024. Mitski’s themes of self-destruction, struggles with self-identity and inescapable loneliness are ones that have resonated with me in many different times in my life, whether in the midst of my tendency to sabotage my relationships or the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that overcomes me during the late nights of my senior year.
“Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” was released on Feb. 27, after teasing two songs from the album, “Where’s My Phone” and “I’ll Change For You,” on Jan. 16 and Feb. 3. As soon as I heard the two teasers, I knew Mitski would be releasing another album that would plague my mind for months. “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” was described by Mitski as “sweeping country and Americana-inspired” and has a sound similar to Mitski’s previous album, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We.” While “Where’s My Phone” maintains some of the musical motifs present since the beginning of Mitski’s career, such as her somewhat jarring and crackling guitar, reminiscent of “Bury Me at Makeout Creek,” “I’ll Change For You” has the Americana-inspired sound Mitski described. But even as her musical style changes, her devastatingly relatable lyrics persevere.
As soon as I pressed play, the first song on the album, “In a Lake,” reverberated through my soul. Hearing “In a big city, you can start over” made me realize this album was exactly what my heart was desiring as I think about college. Similar to her previous music, Mitski’s new album contains recurring themes of mental health struggles, codependency, isolation and a desperate desire to control one’s own narrative away from social expectations. Mitski often references a cat in “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me,” using the cat as a symbol that is interpretable in many ways. For me, the cat symbolized an invading force in Mitski’s life, forcing her to act in certain ways in exchange for love. While feeling stuck in a nonsensical feedback loop of college decisions and school work, Mitski’s refreshing sound has pulled me out of my senior psychosis, forcing me to realize and accept my emotions.
I already have a strong love for “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” and its nods to Mitski’s older music while also connecting to her newer discography, and I have listened to the album numerous times since its release. And while it can’t beat “Bury Me at Makeout Creek” or “Puberty 2,” I know this album will become one of the pivotal sounds nostalgic of the grueling third quarter of senior year.