If you’re looking for raw and purely vulnerable tracks, you’ve probably crossed paths with Mitski. Known for her melodramatic songwriting that’s full of impulse and heartache, sometimes both together, her music lives in deeply emotional spaces that have resonated with so many people over the years.
With the release of her latest single, ‘Where’s My Phone?’, it feels like the perfect time look back at Mitski’s earlier work and trace how far she’s come. This makes us very excited for her upcoming album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, releasing this February 27, 2026. From gentle melodies to indie rock songs and even alternative tunes, Mitski’s discography is filled with a lot of emotional range and restless evolution. In line with that, here’s our rankings of the 10 best Mitski songs.
10. I’m Your Man
Hauntingly reflective on regret and failed love
Starting with ‘I’m Your Man’, this track is from The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We. You find yourself in the perspective of a lover who has had her regrets and self-deprecations towards her significant other. It’s as if you’re preparing for the consequences of your actions in the failed relationship.
What makes this song in the top 10 is how it’s simply haunting and reflective while still being personal. From the choir-like backing vocals, barking dogs in the background, cricket sounds, and the steady guitars, the song’s a melancholic wonder perfect for a late afternoon listen.
9. Strawberry Blond
A bittersweet indie-folk tale
Taking an indie-folk direction, ‘Strawberry Blond’ from Retired from Sad, New Career in Business is a more upbeat anthem conveying the thrill of unrequited love. It recalls seemingly bright memories that are actually quite painful.
The clapping percussion and whimsical flutes make this song feel like a daydream where you’re skipping through the fields. While the track is quite short, ending on less than two-minutes, it’s as if you’re having a brief meet-cute that you’ll eventually have to let go.
8. Stay Soft
Synth-pop vulnerability and emotional resilience
In ‘Stay Soft’ from Laurel Hell, we’re introduced to a more synth-pop vibe that you can groove to. This tune explores unhealthy relationships and how you have to be vulnerable or “soft” to later “harden up.” It’s an addictive song with the lingering themes of finding meaning in one’s pain.
Despite the moody lyrics, the song glistens with a cascade of synths, heavy piano, and a dreamy beat. Accompanying this song is a surreal music video that plays on the push and pull between being raw and preserving yourself. It’s an iconic track from the album that invites you to move despite the fears that come with emotional exposure.
7. Townie
Chaotic indie-rock anthem on youthful rebellion
While Mitski has a lot of songs that delve into emotion, some gems capture the coming-of-age. As you listen to‘Townie,’ from Bury Me in Makeout Creek, you might think this is just a chaotic rock song. However, it finds the singer straying off from familial expectations, even if that means her future is going to be uncertain and risking everything.
‘Townie’ shows more of Mitski’s range as she doesn’t only talk about love and heartbreak. It’s a defiant burst of youthful rebellion fueled with distorted guitars and restless urgency. The song vividly captures her moment of breaking away, albeit unapologetically.
6. My Love is Mine All Mine
An intimate ballad on wholeheartedly given love
You know that feeling when a song quietly sneaks up on your heart and just stays there? That’s exactly what ‘My Love Is Mine All Mine’ does. A very tender and mesmerizing track, the song is a slow-burning ballad that recognizes how beautiful love can be, especially when given in its whole entirety.
Combining Mitsku’s ethereal vocals and soft piano, the track isn’t too long nor too short. It balances the amount of emotion it gives and leaves you wanting more. Overall, it’s an intimate listen that reminds you that the love you carry will be yours to keep, even if you’ve gone from this world.
5. Washing Machine Heart
Hypnotic loop of obsession and emotional exhaustion
Now, who hasn’t heard of ‘Washing Machine Heart’? One of Mitski’s most devastating songs from Be the Cowboy, it has a deceptively light and looping beat. But the song gradually spirals out of control in a sense. It’s a paradox of holding power and losing it from holding on for too long.
Being in fifth place, the song’s hypnotic production and captured exhaustion make it timeless. With that in mind, it has resonated with both long-time fans and newcomers to Mitski’s music. It’s truly a top song from her roster.
4. I Bet on Losing Dogs
Minimalist heartbreak and quiet resignation
As you listen to ‘I Bet on Losing Dogs,’ you’re in for another ride towards doomed love. Mitski shows more of her emotional honesty, capturing the quiet resignation of loving something you already know won’t last.
Built on minimal piano and restrained instrumentation, the song finds Mitski trying to learn how to calmly accept that sadness with a doomed relationship. There’s a lot of denial, longing, and self-sacrifice that goes into the lyrics of this track. It’s placed at number four for how it plainly speaks of that self-destructive love.lin
3. Liquid Smooth
A dramatic commentary on women’s beauty standards
For a more unsettling track, ‘Liquid Smooth’ was written in the early stages of Mitski’s career under the album Lush. It’s a confrontational song about youth and desirability as a woman. The song is commanding as it challenges the idea of unrealistic beauty standards for women.
There’s a swelling instrumentation alongside an almost operatic delivery of the lyrics, making the track rightfully discomforting. It turns insecurity into something powerful. Placed at number three, it shows how fearless Mitski has been in her writing ever since she started.
2. Francis Forever
Longing and emotional honesty
‘Francis Forever’ is a quiet ache with gentle guitar lines and understated vocals. It’s longing in its simplest form, missing someone so deeply that yearning seeps into every little thing that you do. While initially a ballad, the song builds up towards a grand ending with some grunge influences. It was even covered by the character Marceline in the hit animated series, Adventure Time.
The song has some helplessness in the lyrics, reflective of the idea of isolation. As one of Mitski’s most beloved tracks, it earns its place at number two as it puts forward that self-honesty that defines her songwriting. It echoes the complexities of love and the absence of it after it ends.
1. Nobody
A dance between loneliness and acceptance
For our best track from Mitski, we chose ‘Nobody’, which is a walking contradiction of loneliness. The song is brilliantly playful and irresistibly catchy on the surface. Yet underneath, its lyricism talks about loneliness and how it can sometimes be inescapable. From the echoing refrain, sparkling synths, and disco-like production, there’s a surreal tension between feeling emptiness and accepting that.
What makes ‘Nobody’ stand out as the top track of Mitsku is how she transforms personal heartbreak into something almost universal. There’s the quiet fear of feeling unseen, unheard, and unneeded despite that want to connect with other people. The track is both an anthem and a confession, navigating desire and the strangeness of needing someone in our life, whether that’s platonic, romantic, or even familial.
Mitski, as an artist has a rare gift of transforming deeply personal experiences into music that feels both grand and universally relatable. Ranging from quiet ballads to dance-floor energy songs, her songs capture the full spectrum of human emotion with honesty and artistry.
These 10 tracks showcase why Mitski continues to resonate so profoundly with listeners. She creates shared experiences that linger within your heart even after the music stops. As we look forward to her upcoming album, it’s clear that her ability to balance raw emotion and musical innovation will keep captivating listeners like us to feel, reflect, and experience life as authentically as we can.
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