Laurel Hell
| Mitski
Laurel Hell
Laurel Hell is the sixth studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Mitski, released on February 4, 2022, through Dead Oceans. 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. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Mitski’s sixth album is an austere, nuanced, and disaffected indie-pop record that, in part, addresses her turbulent relationship with her own career.
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Rolling Stone
After nearly quitting music, the indie hero is back with a proudly unresolved album.
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PopMatters
Mitski’s Laurel Hell possesses a kind of weird timelessness. The album seems like an artifact from the past that somehow seems relevant in the present.
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Sputnik Music
As it stands, Mitski’s latest batch of songs feels undercooked, unsatisfactory, and a little too perfect for your local Starbucks.
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Paste Magazine
In Laurel Hell, she’s racing into our arms again and again, each time gleefully bouncing off into the darkness. Next time she comes, we won’t recognize her.
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Her Campus
Laurel Hell finally concludes the journey in That’s Our Lamp, a lively yet nostalgic remembrance of past times that’s also the dance party ending of our dreams; finally proving that, even in a world full of struggles and existential doubts, closure can be worth celebrating.
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NME
meta musings set to her grandest music yet.
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Slant Magazine
A Mismatched ‘80s-Inspired Pastiche.
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The Independent
Artist owns her contrariness on this free-sounding jumble of ideas.
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AllMusic
Mitski closes the album on the sparkling, highly melodic "That's Our Lamp," which disco dances into the sunset while remembering being loved -- in the past tense.
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Metro Weekly
Mitski returns from a brief hiatus with "Laurel Hell," a complex, cerebral sixth album.
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The Ithacan
Mitski wears her heart on her sleeve, she always has, and — whether she was contractually obligated or not — “Laurel Hell” suggests that she might leave it out for just a little bit longer before it stops beating entirely. Above all, “Laurel Hell” sounds like growth, like learning how to give up. And even among the energetic, impassioned tracks on the album, Mitski sounds like she’s breathing her last breath into her music career.
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Erie Reader
Mitski's lyrics are dense and darkly entrancing, assisted by her longtime producer and musical collaborator Patrick Hyland to make a synth-heavy opus of the highest order.
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Slate
Laurel Hell is compact, running barely more than half an hour. Few songs extend past the three-minute mark, another sign of her discipline and deliberateness that I usually appreciate. But in this case, one wonders if she might have been better served by some rambling digressions, going off-road into the thicket and seeing if the songs could make it back intact. At its best, the record does feel exploratory, but it’s as if Mitski is withholding the full scope of the adventure. Perhaps this is all we deserve. Still, while savoring the rich thoughtfulness of Laurel Hell’s best moments, fans hoping for more should keep their fingers crossed, if only to prevent them from tweeting
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AV Club
Laurel Hell is a definite maturation for Mitski, whose body of work has historically been all about holding fast to pain. This new record argues there can be beauty in letting go and finding the lighter side of life; but only if it doesn’t ring emotionally hollow. The qualities that make Mitski great—her urgency, rawness, and stark ferocity—feel muted here, on an album that seems to cower in fear of making something too bombastically powerful again. True, even when tempered, her roiling under-the-surface drama feels palpable at times. But the hesitancy to let listeners get too close ends up keeping them at arms length.
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Crack Magazine
There’s plenty to learn about Mitski on Laurel Hell. She hates good advice (Everyone), she’s at her limits (Heat Lightning), and she’s willing to change (Love Me More). But where she once indulged her feelings to their fullest extent, now Mitski is generous with her humility. On Should Have Been Me, a track so jaunty it could have been written by Hall & Oates, Mitski is level-headed as she stalks an ex’s new girlfriend on Instagram. Though she has moved on, she sings to her ex without the slightest hint of sadness on I Guess, boldly admitting, “from here, I can tell you thank you”. It’s a seismic moment of surrender that perfectly encapsulates Laurel Hell – an album that sifts through the ugly feelings until you’re left with something like hope. 7/10
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Clash Magazine
‘Laurel Hell’ is a big album that demands to be known, full of indie-pop wonders and most of her most moving ballads yet. Every emotion is beautifully and uniquely articulated in lyric and sound, every instrument is mixed to perfection, every song rejects that skip button. And the concluding thought is that if this was the record Mitski made in the throes of fear and anxiety, God only knows what she’ll be capable of next when all the accolades from this stunning album coax her back to confidence.
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The Daily Free Press
Leaning more into a synth-heavy, electronic sound that stands out from her previous albums, Mitski returns to music with a breathtaking and intimate body of work that will impress and intrigue new and old fans alike. “Laurel Hell” was a long-awaited release, and one that was certainly worth the wait.
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Daily Lobo
Even though you know she will inevitably be pulled back into that never-ending cycle of her love — her music — you’re still left feeling gluey inside. Something has been broken that will never be fixed, and yet she peddles on, stepping carefully into the dark just once more.
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musicOMH
With Laurel Hell she has come back from the precipice of the abyss with a work that provides both continuation and illuminating rebirth.
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The Revue
Laurel Hell is a strong return for one of this generation’s great songwriters. It’s not as innovative as her previous releases – there’s no “Drunk Walk Home” equivalent nor does it push boundaries like Puberty 2 or Be The Cowboy – but it doesn’t need to. While at times it doesn’t feel like it, Laurel Hell may be Mitski’s most honest LP, and one that’s just as impactful as anything in her discography.
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DIY Magazine
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.
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The Appalachian
The highs of “Laurel Hell” are very high, but the listener is left wanting more after some tracks are cut short right as they start to develop. Mitski continues to display her strong lyricism abilities and it saves a few of the less notable tracks from being dismissable. Overall, the record is another generally impressive addition to the singer’s discography.
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The Crimson
Mitski named “Laurel Hell” after the thickets of mountain laurel that grow in the southern Appalachians, whose beautiful flowers disguise dense branches that, according to legend, have lured countless passersby to their deaths. Not despite but in light of the darkness at its roots, her latest music shines in full bloom.
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mxdwn Music
Overall, Mitski’s Laurel Hell is an emotional journey that explores themes of love and her experiences in the music industry. She creates a personal and emotional collection of thoughts and stories, allowing listeners to connect with her on a deeper level than ever before.
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The Cardinal Times
I suggest this album not just to those familiar with her music, but anyone who enjoys indie rock or pop. In only 11 songs, Mitski experiments with multiple different genres and sounds, making the album enjoyable for a wide range of music tastes. With so many phenomenal tracks, it’s hard to rank Mitski’s discography, but “Laurel Hell” easily ranks among the top.
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The Rice Thresher
‘Laurel Hell’ reflects the duality of Mitski’s love for music and reluctance to create.
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The Communicator
Despite every song here not being as equally well-executed, “Laurel Hell” showcases Mitski’s ability to create pieces with gripping tales and complex emotion, displaying that her skill as a songwriter still holds up. Consensus: Like the flowers that inspired the title, “Laurel Hell” shows Mitski drowning in beauty and its toxicity in a project that doesn’t always stick the landing.
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UCSD Guardian
For once, the sentiment is not bitter or sad, but simply stating and even celebrating the place where love once existed. It is proof: love has happened, and it will happen once more. There was a past that wasn’t all bad. There is a future that might be better.
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No Ripcord
Laurel Hell works as a sister album to Be the Cowboy but more personal and more honed-in on a synth-heavy sound than that previous release’s sprawl. While the focus makes for a more compact listen that homes in on her themes and provides plenty to enjoy, it also feels like she’s reached the natural end of this particular road. But we shouldn’t expect Mitski to idle in one place for long. She’s emerged from the thickets of Laurel Hell more assured than ever before.
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Evening Standard
A strong return for this fame-shy singer.
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The Little Hawk
To sum up her discography, her later albums like “Laurel Hell” allow you to feel bad for yourself without feeling bad about yourself, which I see in Phoebe Bridgers’s work. This new “Sad Girl” genre is allowing listeners to wallow in self-pity without criticizing themselves. It provides a safe space to blame everyone else for your failures.
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The Post
Laurel Hell is a short yet extensive album, with a runtime of just over 30 minutes. Some songs shine more than others but what she lacks in sound she makes up for in her lyricism. Both electrifying and bold, Mitski’s meaningful new album addresses her tumultuous career within the resounding use of synth-pop. This album was definitely hard for her to make but through her astonishing ability to express herself she is able to create an album so engrossing.
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The 13th Floor
Mitski is a gifted songwriter and looking set to take her place in those higher realms. Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens sang David Byrne an age ago. A little bit of demon helps to open it out.
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Loud and Quiet
There are moments of real magic on Laurel Hell, but it’s only half-invested in the sound it’s chosen for itself, leading to a frustratingly detached listening experience on an album that begs for physicality.
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The Guardian
The indie artist delivers devastating emotional truths and unsettling imagery – with sharp hooks and an 80s pop sheen.
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The Fire Note
Regardless of what the future holds for Mitski, Laurel Hell represents another solid outing for the artist. It is not as tight as Be The Cowboy but her voice is magic on tracks like “Heat Lightning” and “Love Me More” that have a modern day Tori Amos siren vibe to them. The upbeat moves on “The Only Heartbreaker,” “Stay Soft,” and “Should’ve Been Me” fit right into her electric live show and give Laurel Hell its pulse. Hopefully, we have not heard the last from Mitski because this is a record, after several spins, that is just absolutely hard to take out of your rotation!
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Under the Radar Magazine
Laurel Hell ends with the grooving “That’s Our Lamp,” where Mitski documents the final moments of an ending relationship. “You say you love me/I believe you do,” she sings, yet seconds later admits the truth: “‘Cause you just don’t like me/Not like you used to.” The key to the song, like everywhere else on Laurel Hell, is Mitski’s delivery. Her vocals are bright yet melancholic, hopeful yet knowing. Sometimes, love isn’t enough to hold things together, but that doesn’t make anyone involved a bad person. Mitski reminds us to be kinder to ourselves.
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Stereogum
If Laurel Hell is a stumble, it’s a slight one. This is still a solid collection of songs, but it’s also the first step down that Mitski has taken in nearly a decade. For an artist whose discography has been as satisfying as Mitski’s has, a minor work is nothing to sniff at. It seems like Mitski perhaps had reservations about making the album at all. She’s talked about how she wanted to retire from music, but also how much she loves being on stage performing, and Laurel Hell‘s more upbeat songs lend themselves to that theatrical aspect. “Everything in the world has a cost,” she recently said. “If I truly want the greatest magic in the world, the highest euphoria, the best thing, if I want to do that, I’m going to have to pay an equivalent price.” Less exciting is the prospect of having her recorded songs living on independent of her physical presence, when they become projections for other people’s pain. But that’s the price you pay to be an everyone’s musician.
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Her Campus
Mitski grabs the attention of indie music listeners once again with Laurel Hell, an experimental, upbeat album with a darker lyrical undertone that highlights her expertise as a singer and songwriter. Have a listen and if you enjoy it, make sure to check out Mitski’s other albums too!
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Her Campus
Mitski manages to wrangle the intricacy of life into a compact 32 minutes 31 seconds, leaving her fans in anticipation for her next project. Like millions, I will also be waiting for I am forever a Mitski girl at heart.
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The Mercer Cluster
“Laurel Hell,” though its title refers to a beautiful entrapment, is a liberating experience for a listener. It invites one to question the systems around them, yet recognizes the importance of dancing amidst this constant thought.
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Gigwise
Uplifting the hopeless heartbreak of being alive.
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Vidette Online
“Laurel Hell” is not a rock album like 2014’s “Bury Me at Makeout Creek,” but rather a more resigned assortment that could potentially serve as the artist’s last farewell to the industry. Any Mitski fan will enjoy this album, and the more upbeat style will inevitably entice new listeners.
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The Line of Best Fit
Mitski reaches new levels of emotion and self-deprecation on Laurel Hell.
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Our Culture
But as she trails through Laurel Hell, it’s clear that no one can know or trace the movement of her own feelings like she does. No one can make the same dance. And when that strange calm washes over these mountains, naturally, she holds it.
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Spin
Indie star’s booming sixth album lands first true anthems of her career.
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