Fans might be surprised that Mitski Miyawaki is releasing her seventh album just a year and a half after her sixth, not least because there was a point not so long ago where it looked like she was done with music for good. In 2019 she deleted her social media accounts and announced that she would stop performing live. Since then, though she clearly remains unsettled by the obsessive fandom that flourishes on the internet, her about-turn has been so substantial that it has included gigs supporting Harry Styles in stadiums, a global headline tour, and, on last year’s Laurel Hell album, some of her most pop-facing music yet.
Now, time for another change of direction. Gone is the Eighties-leaning synthpop of Laurel Hell in favour of a sound that at times could pass for old-time country. Much of this album was recorded in Nashville, where the Japan-born artist now lives, and some of the backing band arrive with names that mean they could only have grown up to become either country musicians or horse thieves: keyboardist Brooke Waggoner and pedal steel guitarist Fats Kaplin. There’s also orchestral arranger Drew Erickson, last heard on Lana Del Rey’s recent albums, and a 17-strong choir.
