Brand New City
Mitski Lyrics

In "Brand New City," Mitski considers the weight of existential dread and the search for meaning in life. She begins with a series of physical symptoms that signal a larger problem: her brain is rotting, her heart is ready to die, her body is falling apart, and her blood is passing her by. The repeated phrase, "honey, what'd you take, what'd you take?," implies that she is seeking an answer or a solution, but it remains elusive. Mitski then suggests that her fate, life, and ways are losing momentum, leading to the desire to give up on being pretty and move to a brand new city to teach herself how to die. This final line is significant: instead of accepting a life without meaning or purpose, Mitski opts for radical change, implying that death is not the end but rather a transformation.

The song addresses the feelings of existential crisis, disillusionment, and the search for purpose. Mitski reflects on the idea of physical decay and how everything around her is pulling her down. She is seeking an answer, but ultimately there is none. Even the idea of death seems paradoxical; it is a way of finding meaning and starting anew. This song is a part of her album “Bury Me at Makeout Creek”. The idea behind the album's name is the juxtaposition between aggressively passionate material, and some of Mitski's most vulnerable work.