Mitski is Back and Better than Ever

The Laurel Hell single, “The Only Heartbreaker” proves Mitski isn’t messing around 

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Ava Bien , staff writer

Mitski’s vulnerable, yet powerful single, “The Only Heartbreaker,” from her upcoming album, Laurel Hell, was released in early November. Along with the single, Mitski dropped a music video where she’s seen burning down a forest, and then with the power of her touch, the whole planet is set aflame. Mitski‘s last album, Be the Cowboy, was released over three years ago, making Laurel Hell a highly anticipated album.

She opens the “The Only Heartbreaker” with the line, “If you would just make one mistake, What a relief that would be,” signifying that she feels that she is always the one to be messing up in her relationships, and that she would be relieved of that weight if her partner could make a mistake too.

She expands on this throughout the song, hinting that she doesn’t think that she’s good enough for her partner, creating a toxic relationship between them where she takes the blame for any mistakes and all of their relationship problems.

Mitski describes “The Only Heartbreaker” to Rolling Stone as being about “the person always messing up in the relationship, the designated Bad Guy who gets the blame. It could simply be about that, but I also wanted to depict something sadder beneath the surface, that maybe the reason you’re always the one making mistakes is because you’re the only one trying.”

“The Only Heartbreaker” takes cues from the ‘80s, with an upbeat, synth-pop tone and electric backings, heavily contrasting the overall theme of the song, making it the perfect song to dance or cry to. Its heartbreakingly honest lyrics hidden under a positive melody make the song stand out as one of Mitski’s best.