Review: Bug Like An Angel by Mitski
mother is back
Preface:
On the 27th of July 2023, 12:00 AM (MYT) Mitski released her first single for her upcoming album titled “Bug Like An Angel”
This comes after a lengthy hiatus since her previous album, Laurel Hell. Finally mother is back…
The experience
It’s certainly difficult to explain it using words, but if I were to describe it in one word, that word would be ‘melancholy’.
Why melancholy? I find that the composition of the song presents itself like a coin. One side depicts the sad and pensive thoughts that is expressed through its lyrics. The other side depicts the sense of longing or desperation, one that isn’t individualistic but shared across different people. The usage of the guitar and choir emphasises theses expressions and allows it to come into life, providing an extremely enjoyable musical experience.
I mean of course it’s enjoyable, it’s Mitski we’re talking about here. The complexities and effort involved is truly commendable. We’re talking about a production that probably took a lot of time and TLC.
Upon the first listen, I felt that the various ‘sentimental’ elements in the song was a pleasant throwback to her previous releases, most notably “bury me at make out creek”. Such is further exemplified with the incorporation of a choir, alongside soft and warm acoustics. These subtle details allow the song to have various meanings that are both intrinsic and emotional. For instance, I find that the usage of a choir was an amazing way to add a layer of depth to the song. The humming at the end is also a great reference to the title of the song as it is reminiscent of the hums a bug would make.
My Interpretation.
Lyrically, Mitski has always used symbolism as a way to convey her message. One of her previous song “Happy” used “cookies” and “tea” as a reflection of her love and effort. Such usage of imagery and symbolism is of course prevalent in this track as well.
However, I find that this time around, her lyrics are rather obvious. When we think about Mitski’s lyricism, it sometimes feels like a letter to her lover, ex, loved ones etc. This time around, it felt as if she was directly communicating to us, the listener. In an odd way, it’s like pleasant conversation between her and her listeners.
To dive deep, let’s look at the lyrics.
“theres a bug like an Angel stuck to the bottom of my glass with a little bit left”
I find that the “bug like an Angel” could be a reference to us, the listeners. To elaborate, I find that akin to a bug, the listener (which most comprises of sad and lonely people if we’re being honest) is also stuck to the bottom of a glass, where they’re hopeless, immobile or just trapped. However, just because you’re a bug doesn’t mean you’re not an angel. Even at our most depressed, lost or confused stages of life, it does not mean that our capabilities to be an angel is at all limited.
In fact, the representation of the audience as insects can be related to the philosophy preached by Daoist Philosopher Zhuang Zi 莊子. He often used the butterfly as a representation of the fragile dependence humans have on their emotions and senses. He famously wrote that he could simply be a butterfly in slumber, dreaming that he is a human. In order to verify that he is a human, he would have to trust his senses and emotions. For all we know, we too are butterflies in a deep slumber where the stress and pain does not exist beyond our deep slumber.
“Sometimes a drink feels like family, family”
In my view, this can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. I’ll start with the literal interpretation. Of course, prior to this verse she mentions how she has become a drinker. In the literal sense, it could simply mean that every once in a while, a drink helps her remember her family, or feel like she’s once again part of her family. This is not the first time where family plays an important role in her lyricism. Class of 2013 is a great example of Mitski’s incorporation of her relationship with her mother in her songs.
Perhaps it’s the fact that she’s been so long removed from her loved ones where alcohol seems to be the only form of comfort. Regardless, I find that there’s a deeper (and more fun) meaning behind this verse.
Thus, we can look at it from a metaphorical point of view. The drink in question doesn’t necessarily have to be a literal drink. In fact, it can be an object that is meant to be played around by the listener. This style of lyricism isn’t new to Mitski, you are not there to listen to her voice, you are there to relate to her words. Her lyricism acts like a canvas or a mirror that reflects you, yourself. The drink can be anything, and for me, I view it as a sentimental piece, something that brings us back into a moment of time where it is safer and less painful. This feeling of comfort, safety and even warmth is further complimented with the incorporation of the choir. In a way, a choir can symbolise a collective struggle, where there are more voices than one. Moreover, it can also be construed into having the same feeling of being surrounded by those you love.
To be honest, a lot of it does feel like that one meme “I’m 14 and this is deep”.
“Hey what’s the matter, looking like a sticker. Stuck on a floor somewhere”
If we took the interpretation that this song is meant to be a conversation between her and her listeners. The usage of the object “sticker” is a reference not to NCT’s “Sticker”, but rather our stubbornness and reluctance to free ourselves. In other words, it can be construed as a form of humiliation and questioning. Indeed, why do we continue to be stuck on a floor somewhere, when there is so much more ahead of us. There’s so much more in life than being a sticker on the floor, allowing others to walk on us and hurt us. We have a life beyond the floor, and we deserve to flourish but to flourish is to stop being a sticker.
“Did you go and make promises you can’t keep well when you break them, they break you right back. Amateur mistakes, you can take it from me”.
This is the part of the song which really solidifies my point of the entire song being a conversation. In a way, it is a direct homage to her previous failures and shortcomings. We hurt, we all do and that’s okay. We make promises, we break them. We make commitments, we fall short of them. Some commitments and promises just to hurt more than others. We can all try our best to juggle our personalities, but is it all worth it? Are your promises worth all the pain? Because, the reality is, as Mitski explains it, “when you break them, they break you right back”.
Perhaps, it’s not even the promises that you make to others but rather the promises you make to yourself. We make silly promises to ourselves with unattainable goals to make ourselves perfect in front of others, but we never consider the times where we break them. Sometimes, breaking promises to yourself is harsher than breaking the promises to others.
Conclusion
When we add all these elements together plus the amount of effort it went into the mixing and writing of this song, it creates an auditory experience that is both unique and nostalgic. It’s a pleasant throwback to pre-hiatus Mitski while embodying the element of being new.
As such, to conclude my review, Mitski really came back strong and had produced a song that is both tearjerking and fucking amazing. I know there were MANY who were crying when this song released, and I was one of them. I mean this song is a masterpiece. Anyways, that is all, and I hope that the person crying to this song will see better days. You deserve everything.
★★★★★