Mitski
“Where’s My Phone?”
Dead Oceans
Mitski is back, and I’m so glad the wait is over.
She just announced a new album called Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, due out in February from Dead Oceans. According to a press release, the music video (see above) was inspired by a novel by Shirley Jackson called “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.”
It plays into this idea of isolating from the main world, which reflects Mitski’s attitude towards the music industry in general. She’s taken big breaks from the spotlight even as her star continues to rise.
When she returns, it’s never with music you’d expect. It’s an evolution into a new sound, even though some of Mitski’s signature songwriting traits remain. And of course, her lovely voice, too.
I’m well aware that we’ve just begun 2026. I’m extremely confident, however, that “Where’s My Phone?” will end up on my year-end best of list.
“Where's my phone? / where did I leave? / where'd I go?”
Love this lyric; this idea of profound attachment to cellphones that, if you do leave it behind at home or lose it, you feel like you might be losing a piece of yourself -- even if it’s just for a couple of hours. Did I miss something? Someone? That call? It’s a humbling moment when you reconnect to your device and no one even bothered to reach out.
At the same time, this is a delightful mix of power pop meets chamber music meets Belle and Sebastian on a heavy dose of testosterone. It’s like if the Breeders were recording music on a cloud in a Roald Dahl story. This is Willy Wonka filling in a grunge band that’s in a good mood that day.
It’s one of my favorite songs of the year, and we’re just getting started.
