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Mitski wiped her Instagram account on Jan. 13, signaling to fans that new music was on the horizon. Following multiple cryptic teasers, the singer released her eighth studio album, \u201cNothing\u2019s About to Happen to Me,\u201d on Feb. 27. The project marks a stylistic shift toward more direct songwriting that resonated deeply with the Florida State fan base.<\/p>\n
The buzz at local record store Retrofit Records proved Mitski’s latest era found an immediate home in Tallahassee. The shop hosted<\/a> an official \u201cTANSY HOUSE LISTENING EVENT\u201d on Feb. 21, allowing fans to hear the record in its entirety on a Hi-Fi system a week before its digital release. To ensure an immersive experience, the event enforced a strict no-phone policy during the playback, encouraging attendees to engage with the music.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Retrofit Records hosts pop-punk Joyce Manor listening party<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The store provided Tansy House letterhead and art supplies for a community scrapbooking project where attendees created collages and journaled their reactions in real time.<\/p>\n Senior studio art and advertising major Sophia Parish joined the crowd at Retrofit Records, finding that the physical gathering made the emotional weight of the tracks feel more personal.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe this is a strong album that carries many similar themes from albums past,\u201d Parish told the FSView. \u201cHonestly, gut-wrenching.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing\u2019s About to Happen to Me\u201d draws on some of the reflections on stardom present in Mitski’s last album, but differs in its presentation. These songs are highly internal, focusing on Mitski\u2019s interior world<\/a> as both claustrophobic and comforting. The album is narrated by a reclusive woman in an unkempt house, a safe space that slowly becomes a cycle of misery and anxiety.<\/p>\n Want more music? <\/strong>Sign up for the FSView Newsletter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Environmental science and policy major Lee Klodner attended the session after following Mitski throughout her career. Klodner told the FSView the album’s emotional weight stems from its departure from Mitski’s characteristically dense metaphors.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought that this album has been one of her strongest albums yet, especially since the lyrics are more straightforward and blunt than in other albums,\u201d Klodner said. \u201cI think the overall meaning is looking at how easy it is to spiral about things.\u201d<\/p>\n FSU English professor and author of “British Rock Modernism,” Barry Faulk, told the FSView that the album moves beyond Mitski’s usual indie or country-rock sound.<\/p>\n \u201cShe seems to want to showcase her mastery of different musical modes on this record,\u201d Faulk said. \u201cThe lyrics explore the usual themes of loneliness, depression, isolation, and the overall difficulty of being Mitski. However, this time around, there seems to be a new theme: Mitski’s ambiguous feelings about celebrity.\u201d<\/p>\n The lyrics of \u201cNothing\u2019s About to Happen to Me\u201d are multifaceted. The fifth track, \u201cDead Woman<\/a>,\u201d comments on the loss of identity women often experience after death or victimization, which turns them into a \u201cperfect victim.\u201d<\/p>\n The following song, \u201cInstead of Here<\/a>,\u201d personifies death as a gentle, maternal presence and ties into the album’s themes of mental decay and the desire to accept the call of the void.<\/p>\n Political science and literature, media, and culture major Sofia Peralta told the FSView she picked up on these themes immediately while focusing on the lyrics.<\/p>\n \u201cThis album is definitely about exploring and coming to terms with death, in my opinion,\u201d Peralta said. \u201cNearly every single song in this album has some sort of reference to leaving things behind, losing yourself, wanting to be saved, seeing ghosts, and leaving things behind.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitski released her first two albums, \u201cLush\u201d (2012) and \u201cRetired from Sad, New Career in Business\u201d (2013), while studying at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, SUNY. These piano-driven and orchestral records feature the tragic, poetic lyricism that became her trademark.<\/p>\n Mitski did not achieve widespread popularity until the 2014 release of \u201cBury Me at Makeout Creek\u201d and the 2016 follow-up, \u201cPuberty 2.\u201d With these records, she traded straightforward piano compositions for a grittier sound and grungy subject matter. Her song \u201cYour Best American Girl\u201d cemented her place<\/a> in the semi-mainstream indie-rock scene.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Mitski concert lets Tallahassee ‘Be the Cowboy’<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The 2020s mark an era of Mitski refusing to be pigeonholed into the “sad girl music” genre. She has expressed exhaustion with constant performing<\/a> and the unrelenting pressure of the music industry. Her albums \u201cLaurel Hell\u201d (2022) and \u201cThe Land is Inhospitable and So Are We\u201d (2023) serve as direct responses to this creative struggle.<\/p>\n These records introduced Mitski\u2019s interest in highly stylized performance art and integration of folk influences, both of which define her latest work.<\/p>\n Stylistically, \u201cNothing\u2019s About to Happen to Me\u201d is an amalgamation of the aggressive vocalization in \u201cBury Me at Makeout Creek\u201d (2014) and the symphonic folk instrumentation of \u201cThe Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We\u201d (2023). Mitski applies sophisticated arranging skills learned over her decade-long career to the messier sound of her post-graduation work.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially, I would only listen to her when I was sad about something, and I would generally skip out on the songs that I felt weren\u2019t relatable to me,\u201d Peralta said. \u201cNow at 19, I regularly listen to Mitski\u2019s entire discography no matter what mood I\u2019m in, simply because I love her music and songwriting so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Both long-time fans and listeners recently introduced to Mitski through TikTok<\/a> have praised the album. For both types of listeners, Mitski remains a reliable artist to follow as she constantly evolves and dissects modern life. The only remaining question: where will her style go next?<\/p>\n \u201cI think this album actually might be a good place to start exploring Mitski’s music, if you haven\u2019t heard her before,\u201d Faulk said. \u201cHer musical versatility exudes a confidence in her singing and songwriting that might win her new fans.\u201d<\/p>\n Grace Myatt is a Senior Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n‘Nothing’s About to Happen to Me’ explores the trapping nature of stardom<\/h2>\n
A rise from humble beginnings<\/h2>\n
The evolution of Mitski’s style<\/h2>\n