Mitski makes sadness colorful and bouncy on “Nobody”

A fantastic disco-flavored ode to loneliness from an artist whose talents seem boundless

A surprising left-turn from Mitski, who abandons her 1990’s guitar influences for an in-vogue disco sound, albeit one that has her own very special touch. After a slow start lamenting how lonely she is, the song slowly rises to reach ABBA-heaven on the amazing chorus: the word “nobody” repeated over and over, varying key, accent and speed, as if Mitski was displaying every colour of loneliness that she goes through. From then on, the melancholy floats on a cloud made of angelic melodies and dancefloor grooves, glittering like a mirrorball. Our heroine might be sad, but she is eloquent and artful, and her sadness sounds so pretty that you want to dance with her in it, over and over, just like her “nobodies”.