Mitski – “Star” & “Heaven”

Mitski has apparently found a new level of comfort with the idea of being a career artist, and she’s about to return with her new album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We. Mitski already made a video for “Bug Like An Angel,” that album’s first single, and it’s awesome. Today, Mitski has also shared two new songs from the LP, “Star” and “Heaven.”

“Star” is a slow-building space-rock epic about lost love. As shimmering orchestral effects layer up on top of each other, Mitski sings about the idea that a relationship can be like the leftover light from a long-dead celestial body that still appears in our night sky: “That love is like a star/ It’s gone, we just see it shining.”

“Heaven” is about love, too, but Mitski approaches it from a different perspective. The song is a soft, gorgeous waltz with strings and pedal steel; it’s a bit like Mitski’s version of the narcotized country of Mazzy Star or the Cowboy Junkies. It sounds sad, but Mitski sings about being transported with happiness: “I sip on the rest of the coffee you left/ A kiss left of you/ Heaven, heaven, heaven.”

Along with those two new songs, Mitski has announced a short run of intimate, acoustic live shows in the UK and Europe — her first since she wrapped up her Laurel Hell tour in Mexico City last year. Below, listen to “Star” and “Heaven” and check out Mitski’s tour dates.

TOUR DATES:
10/07 – Edinburgh, UK @ Queens Hall
10/09 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
10/11 – London, UK @ Union Chapel
10/14 – Berlin, Germany @ Babylon
10/16 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli / Vredenburg
10/20 – Paris, France @ Le Trianon

The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We is out 9/15 on Dead Oceans.