Let the Mitski renaissance begin.
The singer-songwriter marked her return on Tuesday with a new single and music video, titled “Working for the Knife,” as well as the announcement of a spring 2022 tour in North America and Europe. Though Mitski released a song for horror film “The Turning,” collaborated with Allie X and provided the soundtrack for graphic novel “This Is Where We Fall” in 2020, “Working for the Knife” is her first major release since her 2018 album “Be the Cowboy.”
Over synth-heavy instrumentation, “Working for the Knife” seems to be a somber reflection on growing up and falling victim to the non-stop culture of work inherent in capitalist societies. The track was produced by Mitski’s longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland.
“It’s about going from being a kid with a dream, to a grown up with a job, and feeling that somewhere along the way you got left behind,” Mitski said of the track in a statement. “It’s being confronted with a world that doesn’t seem to recognize your humanity, and seeing no way out of it.”
The song’s cinematic music video, directed by Zia Anger with photography direction by Ashley Conner, was filmed at performance venue The Egg in Albany, N.Y. The video features Mitski licking a railing and frantically dancing on stage, among other things, telling the story of an artist exploiting her deepest emotions for the entertainment of others.
Along with the release of “Working for the Knife,” Mitski also announced a North American and European tour, marking her first live shows since her Central Park SummerStage concerts in September 2019. The tour will kick off in February 2022, and tickets go on sale Oct. 8 at noon ET. See Mitski’s upcoming tour dates below.
Thu. Feb. 17, 2022 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
Sat. Feb. 19, 2022 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
Mon. Feb. 21, 2022 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
Thu. Feb. 24, 2022 – Houston, TX @ The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall
Fri. Feb. 25, 2022 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at Moody Theater
Mon. Feb. 28, 2022 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Thu. Mar. 3, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Exposition Hall
Fri. Mar. 4, 2022 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Mon. Mar. 7, 2022 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Wed. Mar. 9, 2022 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Sat. Mar. 12, 2022 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Mon. Mar. 14, 2022 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
Tue. Mar. 15, 2022 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
Thu. Mar. 17, 2022 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Fri. Mar. 18, 2022 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
Sat. Mar. 19, 2022 – Montreal, QC @ St-Jean-Baptiste Church
Mon. Mar. 21, 2022 – Boston, MA @ TBD
Thu. Mar. 24, 2022 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Fri. Mar. 25, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
Sat. Mar. 26, 2022 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
Tue. Mar. 29, 2022 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Wed. Mar. 30, 2022 – Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
Thu. Mar. 31, 2022 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Thu. April 21, 2022 – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory
Fri. April 22, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ University Stylus
Sat. April 23, 2022 – Glasgow, UK @ Queen Margaret Union
Mon. April 25, 2022 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Tue. April 26, 2022 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
Thu. April 28, 2022 – London, UK @ The Roundhouse
Sat. April 30, 2022 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Mon. May 2, 2022 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
Tue. May 3, 2022 – Paris, FR @ Le Cabaret Sauvage
Wed. May 4, 2022 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Fri. May 6, 2022 – Zurich, CH @ Les Docks
Sat. May 7, 2022 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
Mon. May 9, 2022 – Berlin, DE @ Metropol
Tue. May 10, 2022 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Wed. May 11, 2022 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen
Thu. May 12, 2022 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Music Hall
Sat. May 14, 2022 – Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik
Sun. May 15, 2022 – Cologne, DE @ Stollwerck
Tue. May 17, 2022 – Vienna, AU @ WUK
Wed. May 18, 2022 – Prague, CZ @ Rock Cafe
Thu. May 19, 2022 – Munich, DE @ Strom
