Poet REACTS to Laurel Hell by Mitski… I have thoughts!

[@lgtg9268]

LUSH IS A LYRICAL MASTERPIECE. HONESTLY THAT ALBUM IS INSANE AND SHE WROTE MOST OF IT AT 17 YEARS OLD. Liquid Smooth, Brand New City, Real Men, Eric, Pearl Diver, Wife, and Bag of Bones are INSANE. You will cry and get angry every song. Such a great album, and incredibly underrated.

[@Jess-wp1td]

this. ^^ please review lush!!!

[@kendall_al]

I totally agree! Lush is such a beautiful album, every song is so majestic and enigmatic

[@fishiefish2249]

@@Jess-wp1td I think she has!

[@graysonhubbard3979]

in the only heart breaker, it feels like mitski is saying she’s the only one making mistakes bc she’s the only one putting any effort at all into the relationship. the partner can’t screw up bc he’s not doing anything in the first place

[@sherthetruth]

wow, interesting! That kinda blew my mind a bit. Thanks for sharing!

[@imm2336]

For a lot of her dance-y and 80s type songs, specifically The Only Heartbreaker, mitski said “I needed to create something that was also a pep talk… Like, it’s time, we’re going to dance through this.”

[@zacharyw5590]

When she’s singing I Guess…. She’s not only singing to her ex but to us fans too.. the real album closer. That’s why we love her.

[@sherthetruth]

I read that! It makes it that more powerful!

[@jessicabrum9200]

I always thought that heat lightning was about insomnia. You stay in bed see the light coming from underneath your door and theres nothing you can do. Its just you and your thoughts trapped in bed until the morning comes. So, you surrender

[@Missjunebugfreak]

Even though 'Laurel Hell' is not my favorite Mitski album, I do find a lot of it enjoyable. The song 'There's Nothing Left For You' in particular hits me like a gut punch every time. Your interpretations of Mitski's lyrics are always so insightful and interesting. It makes me appreciate Mitski's lyricism in different ways.

[@hexhair3213]

I think working for the knife is just about most people working 9 to 5 jobs and being unable to live comfortably "i cry a the start of every movie, i guess cause i wish i was making things to" is like living an uneventful life, as a kid people are taught that living a great life comes from having an important well-paying job which i guess is half-true but most people end up in retail or something. I think the knife is a metaphor for slowly dying, or slowly losing your life.

[@emilyporter1186]

She said it was about her relationship to the music industry, and after she said she was going to quit music she said that she cried at every movie and couldn't even listen to music at all cuz she was so emotionally conflicted about it. She wanted to be making things too and be authentically creative but she was also scared about becoming a consumer product and the demands of the industry (working for the knife). So it's definitely about her relationship to her work and how the unhealthy aspects of the music industry are slowly killing her

[@hexhair3213]

@@emilyporter1186 that’s so beautiful omg

[@emilyporter1186]

@@hexhair3213 I also definitely think that so many ppl love it because we can relate to it in exactly the way you described. Like working 9-5 and not necessarily having time or energy to create things or do what we value and enjoy, and it can be sooo draining

[@sherthetruth]

2:22 Valentine Texas 6:14 Working for the Knife 11:53 Stay Soft 18:12 Everyone 23:24 Heat Lightning 29:57 The Only Heart Breaker 35:12 Love Me More 39:02 There's nothing left here for you 43:25 Should've been me 46:41 I guess 50:03 That's Our Lamp Faves: Stay Soft, Heat Lightning, Theres Nothing Left Here for You, I guess, That's Our Lamp Overall, this album has the Mitski gems I love but I found i didn't connect to many of the songs! I also may be a bit burnt out by the similar disco sounds that were infused in some of the songs. I like 80s if it's done in a unique way. I still really enjoyed the writing on many of the songs and Mitski's voice on songs like That's our Lamp is heavenly as always! What did you think? More reactions as well as different and new content coming soon!

[@riverisriri]

loved this so much, please react to more mitski! I've been waiting for this for so long ❤

[@jamieallen5746]

I get what you mean, the 80s sounds feel kind of unnatural, especially with mitski’s style of singing, although I sort of like the discordance this conveys. So yeah it’s nice when you get the slower tracks which seem more honest

[@jesusmacias8433]

same. i liked the album, but i didnt connect with most of the songs, but actually, i liked all the songs, i didnt dislike one, but i think iths bc she was kinda forzed to make this album

[@hey.its.fine0115]

There's nothing left for you is at 39:02

[@JulieAcePe]

working for the knife = anti capitalism anthem

[@MalarikFilms]

Yes🤩🙏🏼

[@galaxyseal5081]

Was waiting for this! Hoping to see you react to Lush and Retired from Sad too :) But anyways, I feel as if she'll still make music, considering she's mentioned several times that "music is the only thing she knows how to do". I could see her renewing her contract possibly, signing with a new label or maybe releasing independent if not

[@shreynoot]

You're right Heat lightning is definitely one of the strongest tracks. the music and writing gives such visceral feels and visuals. its the track that would stand the test of time

[@samoickle6425]

im so happy you've reacted to this album! ive been waiting for this and am so happy its finally here (: i think that overall the album is her talking to her music career, personified into a relationship. in thats our lamp, as she says "thats where you loved me", crowd ambience plays out over her vocals. i think this is her saying that she is loved on the stage, and anywhere else she isnt. even if thats not true, she feels that way, as she does consider her music to be what she is. she says "thank you for saving me" at the end of some of her concerts, and yeah…... i think this album is about what she is and what she isnt without music

[@drew8450]

yes!

[@wandermit6714]

it's not her last album, just her last album with dead oceans!!! she's just changing record labels, idk who spread the rumour that she's quitting. after be the cowboy, she also wasn't gonna quit music, she just stopped touring for a while and left social media for the sake of her mental health. i haven't heard that she was contractually obligated to put out something else?? but i did read somewhere that she felt obligated by HERSELF to release the songs she wrote on laurel hell. also, she's said a lot in the past that she couldn't quit music if she wanted to, that it's what it was meant to do, but idk if that applies here. i don't think she's actually quitting, and i sure hope not.

[@emilyporter1186]

She actually said she was quitting. She announced an indefinite hiatus at her last NY show, and was fully planning to quit while reassuring fans that it was just a break. She did make another album and I think she's coming to terms with things and maybe thinking she's going to continue with music. But she said in a couple interviews she was planning to quit the industry

[@nbnopkartpvle8938]

​@@emilyporter1186NEW MITSKI ALBUM BABY!!!

[@Moonsong_]

About the heat lighting thing… I came up with this theory: usually what really scares us ( = makes us feel something strong) about a lighting is the sound, it catches us off guard and it can be pretty strong, while seeing it without sound is not as impactive. So I don’t really know what this might lead us to in the end, but…

[@TheFrostASMR]

She made another album and I think she’ll make more she was nuts at a really low place in her life and she felt like the industry was ruining her and stressing her like in working for the knife

[@stillatomic]

definitely check out her past work - Lush is gorgeous front to back and some of her best writing to date and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business is by far the most incredible writing of her career, i could literally write essays about the lyrics on that album

[@gui4642]

idk… it could also be referring to a partner, but to me “I guess” feels more like a funeral to her identity as a musician and artist. “It’s been you and me since before I was me” meaning that she’s always loved music and that was the only thing she could hold onto… Without it she doesn’t know how to live; what living without music is like. A LOT of her songs feel more like an intrapersonal approach rather then inter, as you said, and this is just another case - her relationship with music. P.S. - I really really love your videos, you NEED to check out “Lush”, you’ll love it !

[@hihigh1196]

i was thinking that too!

[@Moonsong_]

I love love love there’s nothing left for you and I guess. When I play I guess I feel like I’m inside a black cube and the end is about to happen to me. Btw on the land is inhospitable… she says something like “Don’t take this job from me” so in Mitski we trust

[@_fedecardozo]

Yes!!! I missed you 🥲 Hope you’re doing well ❤️

[@nalt6182]

Thank you for covering the album! It's been so long since the other Mitski videos I was worried you forgot about it but then I remember that you ALWAYS cover the albums in your comments lol. ALSO, when this album initially came out, there was a lot of discussion on whether or not "That's Our Lamp" is about an actual relationship between two people or Mitski's relationship with her fans. It's kind of known how Mitski fans (specifically younger people) are kind of 'weird' about Mitski, in a way that's like an insane amount of idolization that makes its way into not seeing Mitski as an actual human anymore. I kind of feel like Mitksi sacrifices her mental health to create content for her audience, which can ultimately let other people express themselves better. In the song, she says "You just don't like me, not like you used to", which can be interpreted as her knowing the difference in how her fans perceived her before her reach was so wide. Also [the next idea is not mine], when Mitski talks about being "in the room" it could be a metaphor for a place of comfort for her audience which is her emotionally raw music is "where you'll be waiting for me" and "that's where you loved me". But at the end of the song, she doesn't go into the room. She is just viewing it from a distance. As much as I love Mitski's music and the way she articulates her life, as well as ideas about people and relationships in general, I really hope she doesn't force herself to release music, or at least take a well-deserved hiatus.

[@fishiefish2249]

I love mitski because she puts how I feel into words and songs in a way that I can’t when she’s just being herself, I hope she realizes that we’ll love her and her music no matter what she writes about.

[@Akanniiii]

initially i battled with the persona of this record, i sense she's revealing her struggle through her quarter-life crisis and the different avenues of vulnerability (self love, relationships, love for the earth itself) seeing "the only heartbreaker" being on president Obama's yearly playlist granted more excitement before the release. this feels like a compilation of time capsule ballads from another black hole

[@robyn3127]

I hope you react to Mitski’s debut and second album one day! The lyrics and overall feel are very poetic and I feel like your analysis would be perfect.

[@fishiefish2249]

I think she has!

[@westcoast2114]

yes!! i ve been waiting for you to react to this masterpiece

[@mars3278]

YASSSS QUEEEEN SLAY, WE'VE BEEN WAITING

[@laisrodrgs]

heat lightning is up there with my favorite mitski songs for sure. love your interpretations as always!

[@sorano1209]

i think what the working for the knife part means is that her label doesnt let her have complete authority with her music and art like they don't let mitski have a certain way with her works like not letting her release them or making her change thins about herself and art in extension and mitski doesnt like that

[@hoemogenic]

she's in Dead Oceans, she's absolutely not being controlled by them lmao

[@beylover1234]

I hope she doesn’t quit she saved my life

[@Esyluss]

I been waiting for this one… TURN IT UP ‼️‼️

[@ethanvmk2623]

43:25 I think that should’ve been me is more about a relationship where her partner cheated on her. But she understands why and that’s why she feels like she’s failed and that’s the chorus “I’m sorry it should’ve been me” Re listen to it with those ideas in mind and you’ll see how sad and deep it truly is. One of my favorite songs on the album

[@saraira]

Valentine Texas is apparently about her leaving a concert and she was in valentine Texas and she saw huge clouds and her first dust devil idk what was start is referring to

[@ethanvmk2623]

I love your reaction videos to mitski albums. They are great !!

[@minuishaq631]

You are becoming my favourite music reviewer

[@dylanperry2454]

PLEASE DO LUSH SOON ITS SO AMAZING I THINK YOURE GONNA LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

[@PedroPedru]

This album is so unique so beautiful so great! I absolutely love this one

[@sangriabear]

REACT TO LUSH TOO ITS HER FIRST ALBUM

[@CrazyLittleTumbler]

!.

[@fishiefish2249]

She has ^^ also ann in ur pfp…

[@VisoneVea]

EVERYONE IS SO GOODDDDD

[@couldyounotdude3168]

I think I read this somewhere before but stay soft (imo) is an exploration of hypersexuality and being a women. Women are expected to "stay soft" and stay innocent, until they're not anymore. Then they're viewed as tainted, dirty, and hardened up. Alot of traumatized women in media are presented as hypersexual (which is a unhealthy coping mechanism caused by trauma). The lyrics "open up your heart, like the gates of hell" is basically saying you'll need to vulnerable and it'll feel like hell, but it'll be worth it- ie you need to find yourself and not base your identity around trauma. Also in the music video, mitski is seem being taken advantage of during a vulnerable moment by monsters with blonde hair and blue eyes, so there can possibly be a race metaphor there

[@nima-]

i’ve been waiting for this!!

[@ky0k0kukamusariii]

I guess made me sob so hard

[@_yeyooo]

i love you and your content, it's always of quality and your reviews are so in-depth. unlike others, it really doesn't seem faked or staged, i loveee you for that! ❤️❤️ always waiting for your future content :)

[@luneelsyian9567]

personally i don't think she'll set out a new album after this, I feel like with most of these songs and music videos tie all of her songs together neatly, it feels like an end album

[@sherthetruth]

I could see that! thank for sharing your thoughts!

[@ethanvmk2623]

What’s everyone’s favorite mitski albums ranked ? 1-Puberty 2 2-Burry me at make out creek 3-Be the cowboy 4-Lush 5-RFSNCIB

[@sergiorodrigues1219]

You look gorgeous, love the video

[@bunyamin9337]

been waiting for this!! love this reaction, you look stunning

[@Buffaloreplaced]

Would love to see you react to Lucy Dacus!!

[@Ind1g099]

PLEASE REACT TO "LUSH" AND "RETIRED FROM SAD, NEW CAREER IN BUSINESS". I LOVE UR ANALYSIS AND THESE ALBUMS ARE MY FAVOURITES

[@syz2193]

I've been waiting for this since the last mitski vid

[@hihigh1196]

IM SO EXCITED U HAVE THE BEST REVIEWS!

[@firstworldproblemsmusic]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE :)))

[@alexandervandenberge8384]

I’ve been waiting for this since forever! I really enjoy your analyses.

[@ellabatog9591]

I love these videos!! If you can you should definitely listen to lush, or Retired from a Sad, new career in Business. Those two are probably my favourites:))

[@ethanvmk2623]

What’s everyone’s favorite mitski albums ranked ? 1-Puberty 2 2-Burry me at make out creek 3-Be the cowboy 4-Lush 5-RFSNCIB (It pains me to put Lush so low on this list 😭)

[@predatorywasp465]

my fav is the only heartbreaker, it’s the best song in this album, personally

[@luvsq_puppy]

YESS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!

[@daytonwong2173]

AHHH so happy to see you back! [please give pang by Caroline polachek a go! It’s a phenomenal album

[@westcoast2114]

loved the vid omgg, could you please also react to mitski’s lush album, it’s a lyrical masterpiece and i would love to hear your on it!!

[@kayttajaxxau4965]

Pretty sure mitski herself said that it should’ve been me is a more sympathetic look at someone who cheated on her which really makes sense when u listen to it again

[@drew8450]

AHHHHHH OH MY GOD BABES I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE❤️ i don't think this is her last album but i do think it'll be a while before. i guess sounds like an adieu to music tho so idek._. love your videos! keep up the good work! edit: imo stay soft is about an abusive relationship and mitski's using that as a metaphor for her relationship with music.

[@damnthony1074]

i think this is lyrically her weakest (but like she's mitski so it's still good) but it's personally still one of my favs along with puberty 2 and retired from sad. i think you'll love her first 2 projects, retired from sad especially. also, i honestly thought this album was not for me but i just kept listening and i just fell in love with it. working for the knife, love me more, should've been me, heat lightning, valentine texas, and that's our lamp are my favs.

[@hihigh1196]

same i thought that first listen but played it again then suddenly couldnt stop listening to my faves

[@simounnn3591]

love this!

[@Cakeasauruss]

im crying this is so sad

[@bajablastsandy]

I share the same sediment about how this album sonically is very lacking, especially the whole 80’s vibe and instrumentation she tries to execute. It doesn’t feel like she truly knows what to make each song sound like, especially when they sound very bland (everyone, I guess, love me more to name a few) it doesn’t really have that Mitski sound,. And it’s not the 80’s vibe itself that makes it not sound like Mitski, Mitski has had a pretty varied catalogue of songs that range from punk, orchestral, piano ballads, indie pop etc. It’s just this 80’s sound has a lot left to be desired

[@bajablastsandy]

Other than that, I really love your analysis videos, it’s always a delight to see a new video of yours pop up on my feed, especially your ones on Mitski, keep up the great work 😁👍🏼

[@menta3001]

Yesss, i was waiting for you to react to this. I hope you react to Lush im so excited.

[@MalarikFilms]

Random, but "Stay Soft" made me think of "U-fig" from system of a down.... Because of beaten and eaten

[@fredd4029]

definitely analize OK Computer by radiohead. lyrically deep and instrumentally unique and amazing

[@JulieAcePe]

GOD BLESS

[@julii9019]

YESSSS

[@melonflowerr5042]

u should react to aldous harding (::

[@ryanwillingham9649]

U should react to the phantoms revenge

[@DigitaIdiary]

You should do fourth of july by sufjan steven!!

[@kioshyiki]

Please react to lush or puberty 2 in my opinion they are the best albums

[@Hellobaby0]

you should really listen to Joanna Newsom, great songwriter.

[@ahttacca]

I think that was her weakest lyrical project, there wasn't much depth to the songwriting in comparison to her previous records... I can't wait for you to record a Lush/Retired from Sad reaction video if you haven't listened to them yet, since some of her best songs come from these albums. Loved your video and the insights, Sher! I hope you're doing well. 🥰

[@goresplosion8987]

mitski new album flopped

[@wandermit6714]

no taste

[@goresplosion8987]

@@wandermit6714 her old music was her peak she cannot outdo herself i fear. . .

[@JesusGomez-ob2qt]

@@wandermit6714 if they had no taste they would like this album wich is clearly her worst

[@darioren6993]

❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 you just made my night

[@samuelflorez6998]

i need lush and retired from sad pleaase