Taking the Cat Out of the Bag: A review of Mitski’s 'Nothing’s About to Happen to Me'

Music Review

By Tahj Galberth

Released on February 27 of this year, Mitski’s eighth studio album "Nothing’s About to Happen to Me" is a short, but sweet dive further into the psyche of the singer.

As stated by its description on Bandcamp, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me “continues the

musical throughline of Mitski's previous album The World is Inhospitable and So Are We”, with similar ideas and stylings appearing within its tracks. Themes surrounding loneliness, yearning, and the struggle of life after a break-up gives the listener a bittersweet taste of what its like to yearn for a love lost.

This album, however, takes place further down the timeline that is the life of Mitski. It opens

with the song In a Lake, which describes Mitski’s life as she attempts to, as the track says, “start over” in a big city following a breakup. Using the allegory of a lake, Mitski reflects on her decision to leave, describing her past as “the dark right behind”. She drops herself into a big city, in hopes that her past mistakes will be drowned out by its activity.

As the story unfolds, we see that Mitski remains haunted by the memories of her past

relationships. Tracks like Cats and If I Leave speak explicitly on the struggle of having to cope

with remnants of the past, both physically with her two cats she used to share, and mentally as Mitski contemplates the part of her may have been lost in ending the relationship.

Despite navigating her personal loss, Mitski makes it clear in the track Dead Women that the

societal implications of her mindset place her as nothing but a man's object. She taunts her ex-lover with the line “Would you have liked me better if I died, so you can tell my story the way it ought to be”. This reflects on the way men control various narratives through women's death.

Through the rejection of a man-centered way of being, Mitski speaks to the experience of

rebuilding a sense of self after being so deeply entwined with another. The juxtaposition between tracks like Dead Women and I’ll Change for You reflects the almost contradicting thought patterns that come with being a woman in the dating world.

"Nothing’s About to Happen to Me" forces the listener to question how yearning for love may

encourage women to turn their backs on themselves. Through her own experience, Mitski

questions “Who are you outside of romantic relationships? Do you know?”.