Lana Del Rey’s upcoming album could represent her strongest songwriting yet
Since Lana Del Rey made her major label debut in 2012 with Born to Die, the musician’s steady output has propelled her to international stardom, becoming one of alternative pop’s most prominent artists. After releasing music to little success under varying names, such as Lizzy Grant, May Jailer and Sparkle Jumprope Queen, her breakthrough single ‘Video Games’ was released under the name Lana Del Rey and achieved mainstream success and regular radio airplay.
From the beginning, Del Rey established specific aesthetics to match her music. Her early creations evoke images associated with classic Americana and tragic Hollywood glamour, frequently referencing Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. However, on 2014’s Ultraviolence, Del Rey’s music and visuals moved into darker territory, encapsulating a hedonistic, 1970s rock and roll-inspired summer. Not only has Del Rey crafted an idiosyncratic sound and image with the release of each album, but her songwriting has shown distinctive progress and refinement.
Whereas Born to Die was concerned with glamour and excess, with Del Rey frequently singing about older men, lavish parties and naive relationships, backed by pop and hip-hop-inspired instrumentation, her recent efforts have sat in stark contrast. Since 2019’s Norman Fucking Rockwell!, the singer has refined her musical palette, leaning more closely into piano-based balladry, country-inspired rock, Americana, and soft pop-tinged rock. On Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, both released in 2021, Del Rey continued to move away from the playful pop and hip-hop influences that still bore a mark on NFR!, as heard in ‘Doin’ Time’.
Del Rey’s most recent release, Blue Banisters, is one of her most important to date. The album contains standout tracks such as ‘Dealer’ (featuring Miles Kane), ‘Thunder’ and ‘Living Legend’, all of which feature some of the singer’s most impressive vocal performances. Lyrically, Del Rey proves that she has grown and evolved considerably over the past decade, having gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in the music industry.
Now aged 37, Del Rey appears more comfortable out of the spotlight, using a private Instagram account to document her time with family and friends. It seems as though Del Rey has ditched the wild lifestyle she used to live, which was reflected in her music. Thus, her songwriting has inevitably taken a new direction, and the result has been considerably more introspective. Although her lyrics have always felt personal, they often sounded as though they belonged to a highly stylised character. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, and Del Rey has created plenty of impressive work by doing so. Still, with more recent efforts, her writing feels considerably more relatable and authentic, making for a refreshing listen.
On Chemtrails Over the Country Club, Del Rey claims she was inspired by her “stunning girlfriends” and “beautiful siblings”, allowing herself to be more vulnerable and honest on the record. With that, she teased Blue Banisters with the Tweet, “I’m writing my own story. And no one can tell it but me”. Later, writing on Instagram, Del Rey commented: “If you’re interested, this album does tell [my story]- and does pretty much nothing more.” These lyrically intricate and intimate albums have paved the way for Del Rey’s new music to delve further into similar territory, marking her evolution as a songwriter. The artist will release her upcoming ninth album on March 10th, entitled Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which has been teased by a single of the same name.
On the new track, Del Rey reflects on her legacy, hoping not to be forgotten like the Jergins Tunnel under Ocean Boulevard in California. Her sophisticated use of metaphors and imagery, complete with lines such as “Fuck me to death, love me until I love myself” and “I can’t help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul”, sit in perfect harmony with the delicate, ornate instrumentation. A soulful backing singer joins Del Rey as the song reaches its end, urging the listener, “don’t forget me”.
If this single is anything to go by, the musician’s next album will be one of her best efforts in recent years. Del Rey has proved that her writing is at its strongest when she is comfortable being vulnerable and introspective. The record is set to feature collaborations with Father John Misty, John Batiste, Tommy Genesis, Bleachers, and SYML, which is sure to create an interesting and diverse collection of songs.
