At long last, Japanese-American singer Mitski Miyawaki, commonly known as Mitski, released her highly anticipated sixth album, “Laurel Hell.” After first releasing four of the songs on the album as singles—”Working for the Knife,” “The Only Heartbreaker,” “Heat Lightning,” and “Love Me More”—fans looked forward to hearing the rest of her tracks.

The opening song “Valentine, Texas” is an amazing introduction to the rest of the album. It starts off slow, but midway through the song, a huge beat drop is sure to have listeners taken aback. I was honestly entranced when I first heard this song — as always, Mitski’s lyricism never ceases to amaze me as she questions her identity in the song, singing, “Who will I be tonight? / Who will I become tonight?” There are always such deep meanings to all of Mitski’s songs and I always enjoy seeing other people’s interpretations of them.

“Should’ve Been Me” is one of the more upbeat tracks in the album, similar to a couple of Mitski’s other songs like “Nobody” or “Me and My Husband.” On the surface level, the song is extremely catchy and has a nice beat — in the lyrics; however, she tackles the problems of being in a relationship with poor communication, where she feels she is not providing enough for her partner, causing them to look for what they wanted in someone else. Once again, the thought put into the entirety of this track amazes me. There are not many people who can manage to put so much meaning into a happier-sounding song, but Mitski is known for doing just that.

After giving the entire album a listen, “Working for the Knife” is definitely my favorite song out of all of them. The lyrics hit especially hard, seeing that the symbolism behind the “knife” can be interpreted in numerous ways. I also think a lot of teens can relate to the feelings Mitski is singing about, such as when she says, “I used to think I would tell stories / But nobody cared for the stories I had…” Personally, these specific lines have always struck me. A lot of people can connect with the feeling that no one is listening to them, plus paired with her emotional tone and slower tempo, I think Mitski captures that feeling perfectly. “Working for the Knife” was also the first single Mitski released after a two-year hiatus, so naturally, fans were extremely hyped for its release.

As a whole, I believe “Laurel Hell” is filled with emotional, telling songs — although it is definitely different than her previous albums, Mitski did a phenomenal job once again at providing her audience with content. For those who are not sure where to start in the album, I would recommend the singles she released first, especially “Working for the Knife” and “Heat Lightning.” Mitski has amazed me once again, and I am greatly looking forward to what she has in store for the future. I give this album a 10/10 and highly recommend it!