Mistine - i guess this is where we're at

On her compelling debut album, i guess this is where we’re at, Mistine doesn’t just deliver a collection of indie pop anthems—she crafts a world of melancholic reckoning and quiet rebellion, wrapped in a dazzling alt-pop sheen. With a blend of grunge-dusted guitars, 80s-tinged synths, and experimental vocals, the eleven-track project is Mistine’s most expansive and inventive effort yet—a deeply personal exploration of the climate crisis that is as emotionally charged as it is musically adventurous.

From the opening notes of “changing with the weather,” Mistine sets the tone: urgent, intimate, and introspective. Her voice drips with sincerity as she draws a parallel between emotional unpredictability and environmental instability—a motif that carries throughout the record. There’s a melancholic beauty in how she treats the Earth not as a political battleground, but as a relationship fraying at the seams.

“lithium town” is an instant standout, marrying raw alt-rock textures with subtly biting commentary about our modern dependence on tech and minerals—a love letter to both innovation and the cost it carries. It’s the kind of track that would sit perfectly between early Garbage and the atmospheric pop of CHVRCHES.

Elsewhere, the shimmering “vermont” layers glittering synths over a folk-inflected backbone, evoking both nostalgia and loss. Mistine’s lyrics are understated but poetic, her delivery sharp and vulnerable. She excels at finding the human scale in global issues—a conversation about a disappearing winter becomes a metaphor for detachment in “summertime,” while the deceptively sweet “just for you” reveals itself as a meditation on consumerism disguised as affection.

Mistine’s commitment to sustainability isn’t just thematic—it’s embedded into the very DNA of the album. She crafts sonic landscapes that mirror the unpredictability and fragility of the natural world, experimenting with texture and contrast. The playful “(of u)” feels like a lost 90s alt-pop gem until its warped outro crashes into a wall of distortion—a musical climate event.

The record’s closing stretch is among its most potent. “better days” is a gut-punch of hopeful cynicism, while “see u somewhere” floats with dreamlike resignation, a hazy postcard from a future that might not come. And then there’s “another day,” the album's emotional coda—a gentle reminder that we’re still here, still trying. The production strips back to let her voice shine, intimate and weathered, but unwavering.

i guess this is where we’re at is a triumph of artistry and message—a rare album that manages to be thematically focused without ever feeling heavy-handed. Mistine’s ability to make the abstract feel personal and the global feel close-to-home is what makes this release resonate so deeply. She’s not shouting from the rooftops—she’s talking directly to us, like a friend we trust, asking us to care a little more, feel a little deeper, and maybe, just maybe, do better. It's Mistine’s most urgent, inventive, and emotionally resonant work yet—a bold and beautiful soundtrack for a burning world.

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