Laurel Hell
2022
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Recording Info
Recorded between 2017 and 2021, produced, recorded, and mixed by Patrick Hyland.
Track Highlights
- Working for the Knife — A touchstone for the album's overall feel, it explores themes of oppressive systems.
- The Only Heartbreaker — Co-written with Dan Wilson, it's an '80s-inspired song about feeling like you can't pull your weight in a relationship.
- Heat Lightning — A song about insomnia that resembles an R&B slow jam.
- Should've Been Me — A baroque pop song about witnessing a lost love attempt to find solace in a copy of herself.
- Stay Soft — Sings about providing love to someone who isn't willing to give it back, retreating into a shell caused by past wounds.
- Everyone — Sings of leaving, running and abandonment over techno beats.
- That's Our Lamp — Meditates on the collapse of a relationship.
Personnel
- Mitski (Vocals, Songwriting, Keys)
- Patrick Hyland (Producer, Recording, Mixing, Guitar, Percussion, Synthesizer)
- Dan Wilson (Songwriting (track 6))
- Ted Jensen (Mastering)
- Ryan Smith (Vinyl Mastering)
- Elizabeth Chan (Drums (track 3, 8, 9, 11))
- K. Marie Kim (Additional Keys (track 9, 11))
- Evan Marien (Bass Guitar (track 9, 11))
- Brooke Waggoner (Piano (track 1, 3))
Significance
Upon release, *Laurel Hell* received acclaim from music critics, who praised its lyrics and production. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 83 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating universal acclaim. Some critics found the album to be among Mitski's strongest work, praising its confident sound and production. Other reviewers were less favorable, describing the LP as a disappointment or noting that it lacked the urgency and rawness of her previous albums. Commercially, the album peaked inside the top ten in territories such as Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, marking Mitski's highest-charting record in all of them. It was also the best-selling album in the US during the week of its release, and the first Billboard 200 top-ten album for Dead Oceans. *Laurel Hell* also became her first album to top the US Top Alternative and Rock Albums charts.
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