Just like “Lightning” Mitski strikes again with an elegant and beautiful album, “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me”, full of thematic songs and “That White Cat” with blue and yellow heterochromia eyes as the album cover.
Mitsuki Laycock, otherwise known as Mitski, is a Japanese-American singer and songwriter that has released seven studio albums since her debut, “Lush”, which came out in 2012. During Mitski’s time at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music, her first album was her junior year project that she self-released, filled with unique instrumentals, contemporary lyrics and vulnerable themes.
Following her debut, Mitski decided to continue her music career through the release of her sophomore album, “Retired from Sad, New Career in Business”. Through her music, she felt as if she was trying to find her own identity, allowing her to experiment with different musical tones and influences, such as including orchestral instruments to power chords and screams. For each of her albums, it explores various aspects of herself and revolves around topics such as “unrequited love, insecurity, hopelessness and dysfunctional relationships” (The Northern Light).
By covering themes that are more complex and with deeper meanings, her songs can connect to her audience, allowing her listeners to reflect on these topics as well as discovering something more about themselves. For instance, in her most popular song (as of Feb. 25, 2026), “My Love Mine All Mine” with 1.8 billion streams on Spotify, it wasn’t just a simple love song; it was about how love was something that was always going to be a part of her, a permanent possession that she owns.
Mitski released her latest album, “Nothing’s About to Happen To Me”, last week, leaving her fans excited for her new release. The album consists of 11 songs with “Where’s My Phone” and “I’ll Change For You” released as singles beforehand, on Jan. 16 and Feb. 3 respectively. Out of the songs in this album’s tracklist, my favorites include “If I Leave” and “I’ll Change For You.”
“If I Leave” began with a calming, melodic start with cymbals and rhythmic guitar strums, which reminded me of a similar drumming pattern in some of her earlier songs. The lyrics in this song stood out to me as it seemed to portray the singer directly speaking to someone who truly understands her. She expresses how she struggled to move on because of her fear of losing the connection that they had, as her lover was the only one that could understand her flaws.
The repetition of the phrase “as you” accompanied with varying adjectives such as “quite as clearly as you” or “quite as kind as you,” emphasizes the intimacy and connection the singer had with her past lover. Additionally, it makes the listeners understand the singer’s internal conflict, as she wavers over her decision of her inevitable leave by the end of the song.
“I’ll Change For You” immediately caught my attention due its instrumental choices, creating an atmosphere of nostalgia and emotional reflection. The prominent bass, along with the piano and stringed instruments, added a light and sentimental tone to the song, which complements perfectly with the message the song conveys. Sounds of laughter and clinking of glasses adds a subtle yet meaningful addition to the song as well, putting the listeners into the singer’s shoes, where she reminisces over the past memories shared with her past lover.
From the lyric,“I’ll do anything for you to love me again,” she captures a really meaningful aspect of life, as going through such a change in one’s life can really be something vulnerable. This displays the singer’s willingness to open up and commit herself to her past lover, possibly for reconnection or closure.
However, another interpretation of this could be seen in a more negative light, as the singer would want to “do anything for” their past lover, as they are the “other keeper of [her] precious memories,” but there might need to be a time to move on instead of trying to chase after something that may be unattainable.
Overall, I would rate this album a 10/10 and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a refreshing yet emotionally profound listening experience through its exploration of various types of instrumentals and themes. Mitski has released yet again, a very meaningful and multi-faceted album with songs that can make listeners feel and understand deeply, both reflecting on the music and themselves, and I can’t wait to listen to more in the future.
