Laurel Hell

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Laurel Hell
Mitski - Laurel Hell.png
Studio album by
Mitski
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2022 (2022-02-04)
Genre
Length32:25
LabelDead Oceans
ProducerPatrick Hyland
Mitski chronology
Be the Cowboy
(2018) 		Laurel Hell
(2022)
Singles from Laurel Hell
  1. "Working for the Knife"
    Released: October 5, 2021
  2. "The Only Heartbreaker"
    Released: November 9, 2021
  3. "Heat Lightning"
    Released: December 7, 2021
  4. "Love Me More"
    Released: January 12, 2022

Laurel Hell is the sixth studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Mitski, released on February 4, 2022, through Dead Oceans.[1] Patrick Hyland produced the album, which has been characterized as a record blending synth-pop, indie pop and electronic rock styles. According to Mitski, the album title is a folk term for being trapped in thickets of laurel that grow in the southern Appalachian Mountains.[1]

The album was preceded by the lead single "Working for the Knife" on October 5, 2021,[2] and the second single "The Only Heartbreaker" on November 9, 2021.[1] They were followed by two more singles: "Heat Lightning" and "Love Me More". Mitski will promote the album with a tour covering North America and Europe, starting in February 2022.[3]

Upon release, Laurel Hell received acclaim from music critics, who praised its lyrics and production. Commercially, the album peaked inside the top ten in territories such as Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, marking Mitski's highest charting record in all of them. It was also the best-selling album in the US during the week of its release, and the first Billboard 200 top-ten album for Dead Oceans.[4] Laurel Hell also became her first album to top the US Top Alternative and Rock Albums charts.

Background[]

Mitski wrote most of the album's songs before and during 2018, finishing the album during the COVID-19 lockdowns.[5] Mitski also described the album as a "soundtrack for transformation, a map to the place where vulnerability and resilience, sorrow and delight, error and transcendence can all sit within our humanity, can all be seen as worthy of acknowledgment, and ultimately, love". She expressed that she wrote the album as she "needed love songs about real relationships that are not power struggles to be won or lost" as well as "songs that could help me forgive both others and myself. ... I needed to create this space mostly for myself where I sat in that gray area."[6]

Composition[]

Laurel Hell is a synth-pop,[7][8] indie pop,[9] and electro-rock[10] album influenced by the sounds of the 1980s.[7] It incorporates elements of new wave,[11] pop, disco, and dance music as well.[12] The album was previously conceived as a punk album, then a country album, before settling on its current electronic form.[13] Album opener "Valentine, Texas" "builds into a swelling, glam-rock instrumental break, with glimmering synths and driving piano lines" as "the narrator wonders who she'll be tonight; opening the door to a new self, she hopes the mountains in the distance will help lighten the mental weight she carries."[14] "Working for the Knife" puts a "dream pop spin on the avant-garde industrial music of the late eighties".[15] On "Stay Soft" Mitski sings about "providing love to someone who isn't willing to give it back, retreating into a shell caused by past wounds". On "Everyone", Mitski sings of "leaving, running and abandonment" over techno beats.[16] "The Only Heartbreaker" is an '80s new wave and Scandipop[7] song "where Mitski grapples with feeling like she can't pull her weight in a relationship."[12] "Heat Lightning" is a song about insomnia that resembles an R&B slow jam.[17] "Should've Been Me" is a baroque pop song "that finds Mitski witnessing a lost love attempt to find solace in a copy of herself."[18]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
The A.V. ClubB–[14]
The Daily Telegraph[21]
DIY[22]
Exclaim!9/10[12]
The Independent[23]
NME[24]
The Observer[25]
Pitchfork7.8/10[9]
Rolling Stone[26]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publication, Laurel Hell received an average score of 83 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, indicating universal acclaim.[19]

Paolo Ragusa at Consequence gave Laurel Hell a perfect score, describing it as the sound of "Mitski trusting herself, confidently blazing forward into the next decade of her storied career."[27] Commenting on the hiatus Mitski took from music in the aftermath of her previous full-length Be the Cowboy, DIY's Ben Tipple said "That Laurel Hell exists only because it almost didn't gives it its power. It provides the space for her mastery of songwriting, and Patrick Hyland's understated yet orchestral production places Mitski in a realm all her own. She finds her voice in loss, an involuntary yet necessary response to throwing in the towel. But there's an ever-present tentative undercurrent, one that highlights the fragility of her return. The light at the end of the tunnel is flickering at best. You can't help but feel that it's all one broken brick away from tumbling down, which is exactly why it plays out with such delicate urgency."[22]

In less favorable reviews, Steven Hyden of Uproxx described the LP as a "disappointment", saying that "Laurel Hell meanwhile is a tentative, frustrating record of half-measures trapped between musical worlds to which Mitski refuses to commit."[28] Meanwhile, Gabrielle Sanchez of The A.V. Club said "The qualities that make Mitski great—her urgency, rawness, and stark ferocity—feel muted here".[14] The song "The Only Heartbreaker" proved particularly divisive among critics. While David Smyth of the Evening Standard hailed it at as an "air-punching blast of Eighties-influenced synthpop" with hit potential,[29] Pitchfork's Cat Zhang cited its production as having the "effect of anonymizing her, subsuming a first-class songwriter into a tired palette."[9]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Mitski, except where noted.

Laurel Hell track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Valentine, Texas"2:35
2."Working for the Knife"2:38
3."Stay Soft"3:16
4."Everyone"3:47
5."Heat Lightning"2:51
6."The Only Heartbreaker" (Mitski, Dan Wilson)3:04
7."Love Me More"3:32
8."There's Nothing Left for You"2:52
9."Should've Been Me"3:11
10."I Guess"2:15
11."That's Our Lamp"2:24
Total length:32:25
Rough Trade exclusive bonus tracks[30]
No.TitleLength
12."Valentine, Texas" (demo version) 
13."Love Me More" (demo version) 
14."Stay Soft" (acoustic version) 
15."Glide (Lily Chou-Chou)" 

Notes

  • "There's Nothing Left for You" was initially released digitally with the title "There's Nothing Left Here for You"[31]

Personnel[]

  • Mitski – keyboards, vocals
  • Patrick Hyland – guitar, percussion, synthesizer; production, recording, mixing
  • Elizabeth Chan – drums (tracks 3, 8, 9, 11)
  • K. Marie Kim – additional keyboards (9, 11)
  • Evan Marien – bass guitar (9, 11)
  • Brooke Waggoner – piano (1, 3)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – vinyl mastering
  • Ebru Yildiz – photo
  • Mary Banas – album design
  • Corinne Ang – typeface resolve

Charts[]

Chart performance for Laurel Hell
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] 7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[33] 47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[34] 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] 108
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[36] 36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[37] 51
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[38] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[39] 173
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 28
Irish Albums (OCC)[41] 7
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[42] 37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] 14
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[44] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[46] 41
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 91
UK Albums (OCC)[48] 6
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[49] 3
US Billboard 200[50] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[51] 2
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[52] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[53] 1

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Minsker, Evan (November 9, 2021). "Mitski Announces New Album Laurel Hell, Shares New Song "The Only Heartbreaker": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Martoccio, Angie (October 5, 2021). "Mitski Cuts Sharp and Sure With 'Working for the Knife'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (November 9, 2021). "Mitski Destroys Everything She Touches in 'The Only Heartbreaker,' Previews New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Caulfield, Keith (February 13, 2022). "'Encanto' No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart for Fifth Week, Most for a Soundtrack Since 'Frozen'". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Krol, Charlotte (November 9, 2021). "Mitski announces new album 'Laurel Hell', shares single 'The Only Heartbreaker'". NME. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  6. ^ Shafer, Elise (November 9, 2021). "Mitski Announces New Album 'Laurel Hell' Along With Second Single 'The Only Heartbreaker'". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Chick, Stevie. "Mojo – March 2022". Mojo. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  8. ^ Olivier, Bobby (January 31, 2022). "On Laurel Hell, Mitski dashes over the dance floor". Spin. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Zhang, Cat (February 2, 2022). "Mitski: Laurel Hell Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Wolper, Caitlin (February 2, 2022). "Mitski's Laurel Hell Succeeds in Spite of Its Identity Crisis". Paste. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  11. ^ Ma, Nathan (February 2, 2022). "Mitski: 'Laurel Hell' Review". Crack Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c Currie, Jordan (January 31, 2022). "Mitski Is Vulnerable and Mysterious in Equal Measure on 'Laurel Hell'". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 2, 2022. sounds of disco and pop taking centre stage
  13. ^ Cleary, Andrea (January 28, 2022). "Mitski: Laurel Hell – Lingering brilliance drifts into the gothic". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Sanchez, Gabrielle (February 3, 2022). "Mitski's previous work casts a looming shadow over the diminished Laurel Hell". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Foulkes, Tilly (February 1, 2022). "Album Review: Mitski - Laurel Hell". Gigwise. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  16. ^ Gibbs, Maia (February 4, 2022). "Album Review: Mitski // Laurel Hell". Riot Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Winograd, Jeremy (January 31, 2022). "Mitski Laurel Hell Review: A Mismatched '80s-Inspired Pastiche". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  18. ^ Early, JT (February 4, 2022). "Album Review: Mitski – Laurel Hell". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Laurel Hell by Mitski Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Laurel Hell – Mitski | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  21. ^ Platt, Poppie (February 4, 2022). "Mitski: Laurel Hell, review: Harry Styles fans are in for a melancholic shock". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Tipple, Ben (February 2, 2022). "Mitski Laurel Hell". DIY. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  23. ^ Brown, Helen (February 3, 2022). "Mitski review, Laurel Hell: Artist owns her contrariness on this free-sounding jumble of ideas". The Independent. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Hunt, El (February 2, 2022). "Mitski – 'Laurel Hell' review: meta musings set to her grandest music yet". NME. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  25. ^ Empire, Kitty (February 6, 2022). "Mitski: Laurel Hell review – a deep dive you can dance to". The Observer. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (February 3, 2022). "Mitski Turns Ambiguity Into a Power Source on 'Laurel Hell'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  27. ^ Hunt, El (February 1, 2022). "Mitski Blazes Forward on the Enigmatic Laurel Hell". Consequence. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  28. ^ Hyden, Steven (February 1, 2022). "The New Mitski Album 'Laurel Hell' Is A Disappointment". Uproxx. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  29. ^ Smyth, David (February 3, 2022). "Mitski – Laurel Hell review: A strong return for this fame-shy singer". Evening Standard. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  30. ^ "Mitski – Laurel Hell – Vinyl LP+". Rough Trade Records. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  31. ^ "‎Laurel Hell by Mitski". Apple Music. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  32. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Mitski – Laurel Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  33. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Mitski – Laurel Hell" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mitski – Laurel Hell" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mitski – Laurel Hell" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  36. ^ "Mitski Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  37. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mitski – Laurel Hell" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  38. ^ "Mitski: Laurel Hell" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  39. ^ "Top Albums (Week 6, 2022)". SNEP. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  40. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mitski – Laurel Hell" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  41. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  42. ^ "2022 6-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  43. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  44. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Mitski – Laurel Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  45. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". Promusicae. El portal de Música. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  47. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mitski – Laurel Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  48. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  49. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  50. ^ "Mitski Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  51. ^ "Mitski Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  52. ^ "Mitski Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  53. ^ "Mitski Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
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