Singer-songwriter Mitski’s seventh album, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We,” released midnight EST on Sept. 15, 2023. Early listening events were held at hundreds of locations around the world in the days leading up to the release — including Columbia’s own Hitt Records.
People gather to listen to singer-songwriter Mitski’s new album as part of an early listening event on Thursday, Sept. 14, at Hitt Records in Columbia, Mo. Hitt Records was one of three locations in the state of Missouri hosting an event, the other two being Euclid Records in St. Louis and Mills Record Company in Kansas City.MU graduate Afi Dobson (left) and sophomore Lauren Holzwarth (right) listen to Mitski’s album. “It’s a lot of people I’ve never met before that are all also fans of Mitski, and so I think it was just special,” said Holzwarth. “Sharing that moment where we’re all listening to something like no one’s heard before.”MU graduate Afi Dobson wears a wristband with the title of Mitski’s new album, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We,” on it. The wristbands were from Mitski’s record label, Dead Oceans, as part of promotional materials sent for the early listening event.A vinyl version of Mitski’s newest album, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We,” spins on a record player. The album consists of eleven songs, three of which — “Bug Like an Angel”, “Heaven”, and “Star” — were released as singles ahead of the full album release.Stephens College students Billy Bascom and Valentine Rodriguez embrace as they listen to Mitski’s new album. Bascom and Rodriguez both said the album was “so good” and described it as one deserving “no skips.”Kyle Cook, co-owner of Hitt Records, hands a customer a free poster. The poster, which has the title of Mitski’s new album on it, was included in a package of various materials to be distributed to attendees of the early listening event.A light up sign bearing the name of Mitski’s new album shines through a window. Kyle Cook, one of the owners of Hitt Records, said the store was sent promotional materials directly from Mitski’s label and was “selected literally randomly to get one of these signs to hang up in the front window.”
