Complete List Of Mitski Albums And Discography

Feature Photo: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com

Born Mitsuki Laycock on September 27, 1990, in Mie Prefecture, Japan, she is the daughter of an American father and a Japanese mother, and she later adopted her mother’s surname, becoming Mitski Miyawaki. Her father worked for the United States Department of State, which meant that childhood did not unfold in one fixed place. She lived in Turkey, China, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo before eventually settling in the United States. Japanese was her first language, and that cross-cultural background would later become an important part of how listeners understood her songs, especially the way they grapple with belonging, alienation, and self-definition.

Music did not begin for her as a polished industry path. After first enrolling at Hunter College to study film, she shifted her focus and transferred to SUNY Purchase College’s Conservatory of Music, where she studied studio composition. While still a student, she wrote and self-released her first 2 albums, Lush in 2012 and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business in 2013. Those early records were piano-based and closely tied to her formal training. At Purchase, she also met Patrick Hyland, who became a central collaborator and later produced her albums after Lush. After graduating, she briefly sang in the prog metal band Voice Coils, then began work on a third album that would mark the first major turn in her career.

That turn came with Bury Me at Makeout Creek in 2014, a record that moved away from the orchestral and classical piano textures of her first 2 albums and into a rougher guitar-driven sound. In 2015, she signed with Dead Oceans, and the next phase of her catalog gave her a stronger foothold in indie rock. Puberty 2, recorded over 2 weeks at Acme Studios in Westchester County, New York, arrived in 2016 and brought broader attention through songs such as “Your Best American Girl” and “Happy.” She kept building that audience on the road as well, touring with Pixies in 2017 and later opening for Lorde on select dates of the Melodrama World Tour. By this point, the career was no longer centered on underground promise. It had become a serious and steadily rising body of work.

The breakthrough to a wider public came with Be the Cowboy in 2018, followed later by Laurel Hell in 2022, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We in 2023, and Nothing’s About to Happen to Me in 2026. That gives Mitski 8 studio albums in total, Lush, Retired from Sad, New Career in Business, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Puberty 2, Be the Cowboy, Laurel Hell, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, and Nothing’s About to Happen to Me. Her biggest hit songs include “Nobody,” which became a viral success years after its release and helped push Be the Cowboy back into the Billboard Top 200 in 2021, “The Only Heartbreaker,” which reached number 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart in 2022, and “My Love Mine All Mine,” which became her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. That progression explains why she is so admired in the business. She built her audience through songwriting, distinct phrasing, and artistic consistency, not through chasing trends.

Her awards history reflects that growing stature. Mitski earned an Academy Award nomination in 2023 for Best Original Song for “This Is a Life,” her collaboration with Son Lux and David Byrne for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. She won Best Live Performer at the 2022 AIM Independent Music Awards. At the Libera Awards, “Nobody” won Music Video of the Year in 2019, and The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We won Record of the Year in 2024. Other nominations across those awards included International Breakthrough, Best Creative Campaign for Laurel Hell, Album of the Year and Best Rock Album for Be the Cowboy, Best Live Act, Best Alternative Rock Record, Creative Packaging, Marketing Genius, Best Short Form Video, and a nomination at the 2024 UK Music Video Awards for “My Love Mine All Mine.” Those honors matter because they recognize not only songs and albums but also live performance, visual presentation, and the broader creative world surrounding her music.

MITSKI STUDIO ALBUMS

Lush

Released January 31, 2012

Mitski’s debut studio album, Lush, was self-released on January 31, 2012, as her junior year project at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music. The album was recorded and mixed by Scot Moriarty, and it introduced a chamber pop sound with elements of lo-fi and punk rock. Running 26:01, the record stands as an early statement of Mitski’s writing, built around vivid, emotionally direct songs and a piano-heavy musical approach that gave the album its distinct character.

CD Track Listings:

1. Liquid Smooth
2. Wife
3. Abbey
4. Brand New City
5. Eric
6. Bag of Bones
7. Door
8. Pearl Diver

Retired from Sad, New Career in Business

Released August 1, 2013

Mitski’s second studio album, Retired from Sad, New Career in Business, was released on August 1, 2013, as her senior project at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music. The album was recorded in 2013 and featured a 60-piece student orchestra, combining orchestral arrangements with electronic elements. Each track on the album was accompanied by a music video, forming a complete visual component tied to the record. The project followed her debut Lush and was created during her final year at Purchase, with recording and production tied directly to her academic work.

CD Track Listings:

1. “Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart”
2. “Square”
3. “Strawberry Blond”
4. “Humpty”
5. “I Want You”
6. “Shame”
7. “Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear”
8. “Circle”
9. “Class of 2013”

Bury Me at Makeout Creek

Released November 11, 2014

Mitski’s third studio album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, was released on November 11, 2014, through Double Double Whammy. The album was written entirely by Mitski and produced by Patrick Hyland. Recording took place primarily in houses and makeshift studio spaces with a small group of collaborators, marking a shift away from the orchestral and piano driven approach of her first two albums toward a guitar centered indie rock sound. Several singles were released ahead of the album, including “First Love / Late Spring,” “Townie,” “I Don’t Smoke,” and “I Will,” and the record later received critical acclaim for its raw sound and direct songwriting.

CD Track Listings:

1. “Texas Reznikoff”
2. “Townie”
3. “First Love / Late Spring”
4.” Francis Forever”
5.” I Don’t Smoke”
6. “Jobless Monday”
7. “Drunk Walk Home”
8. “I Will”
9. “Carry Me Out”
10. “Last Words of a Shooting Star”
11. “Square” (live solo piano version)
12. “I Want You” (live at WNYU The Sound Between)
13. “Francis Forever” (live at WNYU The Sound Between)
14. “Last Words of a Shooting Star” (live)

Puberty 2

Released June 17, 2016

Mitski’s fourth studio album, Puberty 2, was released on June 17, 2016, through Dead Oceans. The album was recorded at Acme Studios in Westchester, New York, over a two week period with longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland, who produced the record. It followed Bury Me at Makeout Creek and continued her move into a guitar driven indie rock sound while incorporating elements of punk rock and pop. The album was supported by the singles “Your Best American Girl” and “Happy,” with a later video released for “A Burning Hill.”

CD Track Listings:

1. Happy
2. Dan the Dancer
3. Once More to See You
4. Fireworks
5. Your Best American Girl
6. I Bet on Losing Dogs
7. My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Stars
8. Thursday Girl
9. A Loving Feeling
10. Crack Baby
11. A Burning Hill

Be the Cowboy

Released August 17, 2018

Released on August 17, 2018, Be the Cowboy became Mitski’s fifth studio album and her first to gain significant chart presence, issued through Dead Oceans. The album was recorded in studios in Philadelphia, Haddon Heights, and Los Angeles, with longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland producing the record. It introduced a broader sonic palette, incorporating piano, synthesizers, and horns alongside her established guitar driven sound. The album was supported by the singles “Geyser,” “Nobody,” and “Two Slow Dancers,” and it marked her first appearance on the Billboard 200 while also charting internationally.

CD Track Listings:

1. Geyser
2. Why Didn’t You Stop Me?
3. Old Friend
4. A Pearl
5. Lonesome Love
6. Remember My Name
7. Me and My Husband
8. Come into the Water
9. Nobody
10. Pink in the Night
11. A Horse Named Cold Air
12. Washing Machine Heart
13. Blue Light
14. Two Slow Dancers

Laurel Hell

Released February 4, 2022

Released on February 4, 2022, Laurel Hell marked Mitski’s sixth studio album and her return following Be the Cowboy, issued through Dead Oceans. The album was recorded between 2017 and 2021 and produced by longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland. It blends synth-pop, indie pop, and electronic rock styles, reflecting a shift toward a more electronic sound built around synthesizers and programmed elements. The record was supported by the singles “Working for the Knife,” “The Only Heartbreaker,” “Heat Lightning,” and “Love Me More,” and it became her highest-charting album at the time, reaching the top ten in the United States, the United Kingdom, and several other countries.

CD Track Listings:

1. “Valentine, Texas”
2. “Working For The Knife”
3. “Stay Soft”
4. “Everyone”
5. “Heat Lightning”
6. “The Only Heartbreaker”
7. “Love Me More”
8. “There’s Nothing Left For You”
9. “Should’ve Been Me”
10. “I Guess”
11. “That’s Our Lamp”

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Released September 15, 2023

Released on September 15, 2023, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We became Mitski’s seventh studio album, issued through Dead Oceans. The album was recorded at the Bomb Shelter in Nashville and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, with longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland producing the record. It was supported by the singles “Bug Like an Angel,” “Star,” “Heaven,” and “My Love Mine All Mine,” with “My Love Mine All Mine” becoming the most commercially successful song of her career.

CD Track Listings:

“Bug Like an Angel” – 3:32
“Buffalo Replaced” – 2:40
“Heaven” – 3:44
“I Don’t Like My Mind” – 2:25
“The Deal” – 3:52
“When Memories Snow” – 3:04
“My Love Mine All Mine” – 2:49
“The Frost” – 3:00
“Star” – 2:30
“I’m Your Man” – 2:49
“I Love Me After You” – 2:49

Nothing’s About to Happen to Me

Released February 27, 2026

Arriving on February 27, 2026, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me became Mitski’s eighth studio album, released through Dead Oceans. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound and TTG Studios in Los Angeles, with longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland serving as producer. It followed The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We and featured contributions from her touring band, along with orchestral arrangements conducted by Drew Erickson. The album was supported by the singles “Where’s My Phone?” and “I’ll Change for You,” and it marked her next major studio release in a catalog that had steadily expanded since 2012.

CD Track Listings:

“In a Lake” – 3:04
“Where’s My Phone?” – 3:09
“Cats” – 2:48
“If I Leave” – 3:00
“Dead Women” – 3:09
“Instead of Here” – 3:07
“I’ll Change for You” – 3:16
“Rules” – 2:36
“That White Cat” – 3:11
“Charon’s Obol” – 3:00
“Lightning” – 3:17

MITSKI LIVE ALBUMS

Audiotree Live

Released July 1, 2015

CD Track Listings:

1. I Don’t Smoke – 02:53
2. Class of 2013 – 02:11
3. Last Words of a Shooting Star – 02:57
4. Liquid Smooth – 02:51
5. Pearl Diver

MITSKI EXTENDED PLAYS

This Is Where We Fall

Released May 5, 2021

CD Track Listings:

1. The Baddy Man
2. The Beginning
3. The End

Stay Soft, Get Eaten: Laurel Hell Demos

Released August 12, 2022

CD Track Listings:

1. Valentine, Texas (Demo Version)
2. Love Me More (Demo Version)
3. Stay Soft (Acoustic Version)
4. Glide (Lily Chou-Chou)

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