Release of the Week: Mitski ‘Nobody’
Japanese-American singer songwriter has released the second track off her upcoming fifth album, Be The Cowboy, and has created a bittersweet lament with ‘Nobody’.
With the new album set to release 17 August, Mitski’s impeccable song writing abilities and her growth as an artist are on full display. The first single, ‘Geyser’, was powerful and tragic, bombarding listeners with the raw emotion Mitski has become known for. Her smooth voice and strong lyrics are often contrasted with aggressive rock instrumentation. Often singing about heartbreak and unrequited love, Mitski pours so much sadness into each track that it’s often hard to imagine a happy side to the artist. However, with ‘Nobody’, she looks to embrace the sorrow, delivering an upbeat and fun single that is a refreshing new tone for her.
In this latest release, Mitski has adopted more pop and dance conventions in place of her typical rock sound. The opening line, “my God, I’m so lonely”, is brutally honest, but immediately makes the song relatable and real. The sad tale of Mitski calling out for a kiss, “one good honest kiss”, to cure her loneliness, only to realise she has “nobody” feels so genuine that it’s hard not to be immersed in her emotional lyrics. The lyrics are playfully contrasted with the music. Instead of telling this depressing tale of loneliness as a ballad, Mitski instead grounds the song in a good beat, exploding with bright instruments at the first chorus. The painful emotion of the opening piano is swapped out for almost tropical house melodies as Mitski happily strums away on the guitar, layering the song with some light harmonics.
Alongside the single, Mitski also released a music video, which combines the dark undertones of the lyrics with her playful new sound. Always one for creativity, the captivating film clip is both strange and fascinating, which is appropriate for the song.
