In this episode of Bonus Tracks, Ronnie considers Mitski’s 2026 album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me.
The broadcast version of the review was edited for time, and the full unedited version is also here, simply click the player below to hear the entire thing. Thank you Ronnie for your excellent work reviewing the album, YAY Mitski!
Full Transcript:
0:00: You’re listening to KXCI Tucson.
0:03: I’m Ronnie, and this is Bonus Tracks.
0:06: Mitski’s eighth studio album, Nothing’s about to Happen to Me, released February 27th, 2026 by the record label Dead Oceans, showcases her complex instrumentals and songwriting genius in a way we haven’t seen from her before.
0:22: Produced and engineered by Patrick Hyland and featuring live orchestra performance engineered and conducted by Drew Erickson, Mitski delves into a world of jazzy, rich art pop that showcases her talent and multitudes.
0:37: With a Metacritic average score of 87, Nothing’s about to Happen to Me boasts glowing reviews from The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and Beats Per Minute.
0:46: The lead single on the album “Where’s My Phone” follows the manic unraveling of a woman fearing she is not present in her own life, exploring the dependency humanity has on technology and our fear of life without it.
1:01: The seemingly simple and repetitive song hides a deeper, more tragic meaning, combining melodic vocals with loud, echoing, almost jerky guitar and drums.
1:11: The song feels like trying to hide that you’re falling apart.
1:15: A running theme throughout the album, the music video directed by Noel Paul is described as, “unhinged, emotionally kaleidoscopic” by Dead Ocean’s official website.
1:26: The video is inspired by Shirley Jackson’s novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which follows.
1:31: The Blackwood family, who live in a decaying mansion on the outskirts of a hostile New England village.
1:37: My personal favorite on the album, “If I Leave”, explores the fear of ending a relationship because you know your partner is the only one who will truly accept you for who you are.
1:48: There is also an element of quiet secrecy to the song, as Mitski states that no one around her knows about something.
1:56: Whether no one knows about the relationship itself or how she feels about it, I’m not sure, but this mystery adds to the power of the song.
2:04: The song is very drum-heavy with a repeating line throughout.
2:07: This gives the impression of a heartbeat constantly thumping behind the words and music.
2:12: The instrumental is repetitive, showing how the protagonist’s thoughts are constantly reverting back to the sphere.
2:19: Mitski’s vocals are quiet, almost whispered.
2:22: The secrecy of this song is tantalizing, leading you in and making you want more.
2:27: In “I’ll Change for You”, Mitski grapples with someone falling out of love with her when she’s very much still in love with them.
2:34: It’s a classic, maybe even overdone topic for a song, but Mitski deepens it and finds new ground.
2:40: She builds a world in the song with confessional and descriptive lyrics like bars, such magic places you can be with other people without having any one at all.
2:49: Once again, she brings back the feeling of hiding the tragedy of her situation, this time by trying to find love or at least companionship in other places.
2:59: Mitski uses strings, woodwinds, and brass in the instrumental, creating a jazzy, almost bossa nova feel with her liquidy vocals.
3:07: The song washes over you.
3:09: Other highlights on the record include the opening track “In a Lake”, beginning the album’s story with the protagonist’s deep longing to escape their small town and paralleling this feeling with trying to leave behind your first love.
3:21: This wish for freedom is fulfilled at the end of the track where the quaint guitar instrumental is replaced with blooming strings and drums, opening up the world of the album.
3:33: There’s also “Dead Women”, which explores society’s obsession with exactly that, dead women and girls.
3:39: It also explores women’s autonomy and how they are often asked or forced to give up their lives and dreams to conform to men’s expectations.
3:48: The lyrics are dark and forgiving, and are backed by quiet, slow strings and guitar.
3:55: As well as “That White Cat” where Mitski is haunted by mental turmoil in the form of an evil white cat which takes over her home throughout the track, Mitski expresses frustration, feeling that she is only working and living her life to feed the cat and the many other animals that have accumulated in her home.
4:14: Accompanied by surf rock guitar and pulsing drums, the song has a humor to it while still keeping its important message.
4:21: Nothing’s About to Happen to Me explores deep and complex emotion just like Mitski’s other projects, but in a new light.
4:28: The album is filled with subtlety and quiet genius.
4:32: The instruments are complex and powerful, and the lyrics are clever and confessional.
4:37: Once again, I’m Ronnie from the Future of Radio, and this is Bonus Tracks.
For the edited version, the music samples are listed below:
0:11: music sample (0:57) “Where’s My Phone”, Mitski, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, 2026, Dead Oceans
1:10: music sample (0:43) “If I Leave”, Mitski, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, 2026, Dead Oceans
1:47: music sample (0:19) “I’ll Change For You”, Mitski, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, 2026, Dead Oceans
2:03: music sample (0:25) ” In A Lake”, Mitski, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, 2026, Dead Oceans
2:26: music sample (0:39) ” Dead Women”, Mitski, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, 2026, Dead Oceans
3:03: music sample (0:26) ” That White Cat”, Mitski, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, 2026, Dead Oceans
