Song of the Week broke down and talked about the part of the song that we never get out of our heads every week. Find these songs and many more of us Playlist of Top Top Songs. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Playify New Sound playlist. This week, Mitski’s return came.
If the world needs his goodness, Myth lost. In his two -year absence from music, from touring, and on social media, fans of the indie rock superstar have found solace in his career highlights like “Nobody” and “Your Best American Girl,” which have always been centered in fear of not living up to the expectations set by both you and yourself. “Working for the Knife,” is his first new music since 2018 Be a Cowboy, excluding the Mitski formula.
From the start, “Working for the Knife” offers shots of anercdotes about Mitski’s perceived shortcomings: “I cried at the start of every movie / Maybe‘ cause I also wanted to do things, ”says he’s on track opening lines.With overly sweeping, roaring instruments, he recounts worrying that no one has anything to do with his songs separating, the concern that is behind the autonomy of adulthood , and being able to ring at age 30; sure, the freedom to spend your life as you like can be tempting, but what if the rest of the world doesn’t agree with you?
Sometimes, as the music video of the song shows, the existing feeling is like showing a human performance in an empty auditorium.
However, “Working for the Knife” is more of a personal fight, though. Beneath its surface, it can be a critique of the culture of haste, one that feels meaningfully relevant as young people struggle with an unparalleled burnout. “I started the day lying and ended up with the truth / That I was going to die for the knife,” he sings.
As Mitski puts it, the “knife” can represent unattainable standards, the fear of falling, or, on the other hand, the potential for making your name in a brutal world. Whatever shape the knife takes, however, it holds infinite potential for pain.
– Abby Jones