Mitski Releases New Song ‘Heat Lightning’
Mitski is back with new music. The “Nobody” singer has released “Heat Lightning” along with a lyric animated music video created by Alex Moy.
Mitski shared the third single to her highly anticipated studio album, Laurel Hell, on December 7. “Heat Lightning” follows previous singles “Working for the Knife” and “The Only Heartbreaker.”
“Heat Lightning” has a different visual compared to her previous singles off Laurel Hell. Moy’s video contains the lyrics to her song at the bottom of the screen. Moy then creates hypnotizing visuals and explosions of color to draw the listener in.
“Heat Lightning” serves as an ode to insomnia, a common sleep disorder many humans experience in their life. Mitski sings, “I’ve laid awake since 1 / and now it’s 4 o’clock.” By the time listeners get to the chorus of the song, Moy creates a scene where objects are circling around the sky. These images work to act as a direct reflection of one’s mind in the night. For those that suffer from insomnia, it is often difficult to go to sleep from overthinking. Mitski sings, “There’s nothing I can do, / Nothing I can change / I give it up to you / I surrender.” Once she “surrenders” the beat drops and the mind is at peace.
Mitski spoke in an interview with Zane Lowe about naming her upcoming sixth studio album Laurel Hell. She begins to explain, “‘Laurel Hell’ is a term from the Southern Appalachians in the U.S., where laurel bushes basically grow in these dense thickets, and they grow really wide. And, I mean, I’ve never experienced it myself, but when you get stuck in these thickets, you can’t get out. Or so the story goes. And so there are a lot of Laurel Hells in America, in the South, where they’re named after the people who died within them because they were stuck. And, so the thing is, laurel flowers are so pretty. They just burst into these explosions of just beauty. And, I just, I liked the notion of being stuck inside this explosion of flowers and perhaps even dying within one of them.”
been waiting for this one. @mitskileaks on the show today talking The Only Heartbreaker. tap in @AppleMusic pic.twitter.com/BNurDie5eL
— Zane Lowe (@zanelowe) November 9, 2021
Mitski’s Laurel Hell will be released on February 4 via Dead Oceans. She will be embarking on a sold-out tour in support of the album. Be sure to stream the latest singles off Laurel Hell on all major music platforms.
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