»The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We« stretches the ballad concept to just under thirty-five minutes and Lana-Del-Rey’s us through several cycles of grief. When Mitski Miyawaki says: »I wish I could leave all the love I have behind after I die so that I can radiate all the good, all the good love I have created to other people«, she probably means it as literally as people claim. Every wound is torn open and immediately patched up again, with Mitski sprinkling a little love in between: So you clearly suffer a little better! As you swing from song to song, you fly through the folk clouds of indie heaven and land back where you once started. You no longer know whether it’s the same song you’re looping through for the fourth time or whether you’ve already reached the end: Mitski is Phoebe Bridgers with a bit of Bon Iver abyss, and the perfect heartbreak therapy to boot. Ultimately, you will have understood the American musician correctly if you feel enriched by Miyawaki’s charisma. What happens to the unbelievers is another matter. We are probably too »inhospitable« for her country.
Slowdive
Everything Is Alive
Dead Ocean