Haunted houses, dying girls and cats — all symbols Mitski weaves through her eighth album, “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me.” The captivatingly eerie aura developed throughout the album reimagines many of the themes Mitski is known for: rehashing relationships, identity and death all through a new lens. In this latest album, Mitski theatrically explores the desire to disappear, grieving the Mitski of the past and learning how to move on.
Theatricality has become a tenet of Mitski’s work throughout her past few albums. She has regularly incorporated choreographed dances into her concerts, like slow dancing with a beam of light. Her music videos are filled with details that expand on the complicated stories embedded in her songs. All that thought and detail can be heard in the new album.
Much of the album includes music recorded with a live band and orchestra. To accompany the lyrics, powerful instrumentals carry the themes of the album. Using audio to play with ideas and emotions is something this album does spectacularly. You can find celebratory horn solos, backup vocals akin to dogs howling and ambient noise from a crowded bar that all allude to the story she’s trying to tell.
The album examines the feeling of wanting to disappear. This perspective aligns with the way Mitski has retreated from the spotlight as her career has gone on. In the album’s sixth track, “Instead of Here,” the speaker pulls away from those around her, saying she’s “where nobody can reach.”
In the “Where’s My Phone?” music video, Mitski attempts to keep a young woman from leaving the house, frantically running around as different figures lure her out to her death.
When Mitski asked fans to turn off their phones during her “Laurel Hell” tour, she was met with backlash. Despite speaking against the reductive, “sad-girl” label people assign to her work, Mitski continues to be placed in that box. Both of these instances represent the control some fans feel they have over Mitski’s image. She imagines others’ happiness coming at the cost of the singer’s, as it has in her own experience. The song “Dead Women” represents Mitski’s anger at the lack of agency given to women.
“Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” also carries a sense of being trapped. The music video for the album’s fourth song, “If I Leave,” depicts Mitski and her band in an increasingly haunted, dilapidated house, similar to the characters hiding away in the “Where’s My Phone?” video. This claustrophobia, as well as the isolation Mitski is desperate for, seems to be her reaction to the rigid perception audiences have of her. Like many other seasoned artists, Mitski’s work that was once her escape has become something she’s trapped in.
Peer pressure and Mitski’s fear of succumbing to others’ opinions runs through this new album. As the title suggests, in the seventh song, “I’ll Change For You,” the singer offers to change herself so her partner or the listener will stay. Similar themes are in “If I Leave” and “Rules.” Mitski wishes for a clear mind with fewer thoughts in “Where’s My Phone?” but the album makes clear that this is not a good thing. Mitski can play with the idea of giving the people what they want, but she will do it her own way.
With this new album, Mitski reflects on her acclaimed body of work through new sounds and a more seasoned perspective. There are more rock-oriented songs that could easily slot into “Bury Me At Makeout Creek.” Some involve folk twang reminiscent of “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We,” or the depressive anger of “Lush.” If the people want the Mitski they know, she can deliver.
“Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” is an emotional release fueled by the contradictions that make us human. Mitski wants freedom to be herself, but isn’t immune to the allure of validation. Her past is both her home and her prison. Mitski weaves together these ideas in an introspective album that marries her different perspectives on fame and selfhood. Above all else, Mitski is bold and innovative, qualities that made this album a spectacular piece of art.
*This column was updated March 18, 2026.
