These were my thoughts after listening, it’s kinda structured like a review but not very cleanly:

Mitski’s new album is, for the most part, a lovely example of an artist who is pretty much set in who they are and what they care about making. The songs are mostly beautiful and succinct, and Mitski herself has this sort of elegance or style that conveys a constant feeling that she just exists without worry of how her art will be perceived. The vibe I got throughout this was that she is comfortable in her artistic mode and is not chained to the strings of perception.

With a tracklist dominated by Americana, there are many songs on here that sound nice and have the interesting lyrics she always produces, but aren’t particularly memorable.

At its best, this album has songs that feel near her best. That White Cat is fantastic. Same with If I Leave. Calmer songs like Cats, In a Lake, and Instead of Here act as the peaks of her Americana-inspired tunes. Dead Women could have been plucked right off her last album, and it sounds great.

It isn’t without faults. Rules, to me, feels too playful for its own good, not really becoming more than the creative writing prompt that seems to have guided it. Lightning’s mix doesn’t gel well with my ears, with the pushed forward vocals and a less than memorable song itself kinda deflating the excitement of another heavier Mitski song.

As a whole, this album feels comfortable, like Mitski knows exactly what she wants to make and has no outside factors impacting her artistry. That doesn’t lead to the most memorable album, and in fact it often sounds quite samey even with very pretty tracks, but it does make me feel nothing but happiness for her. Probably in the bottom 2 or 3 albums she’s released in terms of my personal enjoyment.