Mitski Is Back With New Dark, Stunning Single 'Working for the Knife'

Mitski is back!!!

After a long hiatus, one of the best musicians of her generation is back with new music and a new tour! The singer announced her return with a new music video for the single "Working for The Knife," her first major release since 2018.

The song is full of angst, anger, and emotion, just like you'd expect from Mitski's first major drop since 2018's Be the Cowboy, which was widely considered one of the best albums of the 2010s. The singer had also deleted her social media accounts and recently reactivated them to announce the song and new tour.

"Working for the Knife" starts out with a haunting keyboard that sounds not unlike a John Carpenter score from an '80s horror movie.

"I cry at the start of every movie, I guess cause I wish I was making things too. But I'm working for the knife," she sings. "I used to think I would tell stories, but nobody cared for the stories I had about no good guys. I always knew the world moves on, I just didn't know it would go without me. I start the day high and it ends so low, cause I'm working for the knife."

As we all suffer the grind of capitalism, especially under the global pandemic and in the world we live in, the lyrics are stunningly relatable and cut deep.

Mitski talked about the track in a statement. "It's about going from being a kid with a dream, to a grown up with a job, and feeling that somewhere along the way you got left behind," she said. "It's being confronted with a world that doesn't seem to recognize our humanity, and seeing no way out of it."

Well, damn, Mitski, thanks for sending us into a trauma spiral first thing in the morning! (Actually, sincerely, always thank you Mitski for releasing new music, no matter how depressing.)

The video, which is stunning, dark, and beautiful, was directed by Zia Anger, and starts out with an atmospheric and dark view of Mitski in a cowboy hat, a la Be the Cowboy, walking into a building and going into the elevator, where she starts frantically dancing, gyrating, and licking railings. At the end, she smiles a twisted smile into camera, always ready to perform for the knife.

Mitski also announced both North American, and European tour dates. She'll be heading out on a 26-stop North America tour in February and March of 2022, followed by a 21-stop tour through the UK and England in April and May.

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