Interscope
Pop, 2023

Lana Del Rey’s Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd retains her usual collaborators, so yes, if you have heard her last few albums, this one will hold few surprises.

There are still some surprises, though. The title track, for example, is a sublime piece that reminds me so much of Tori Amos’s Silent All These Years, structurally, in that it is a slow burn, dreamy piece song with a hint of underlying self loathing and anger:

Fuck me to death, love me until I love myself

Then, toward the end, the song experiences a change of tempo and starts to glide into a heartbreaking yet beautiful bit that transforms its mood and even the theme completely. Here, the song becomes catharsis in motion, allowing the feelings that well in the listener’s heart up to the point to just burst forth and it feels glorious.

Sure, one can say the title and the overall concept of the album reeks of pretentiousness that only teenagers can appreciate, but then again, if one looked at the bulk of Ms Del Rey’s fans, it’s just par for her course, so to speak.

In many ways, Sweet, The Grants, et cetera all seem like variations of the same song, but again, par for the course.

The surprise here is how confident and strong the vocals are. Ms Del Rey now plays the brassy songstress on the stage in a club out of a gangster movie in the 1960s, the tart with the heart of gold that captures the weary and cynical heart of the male lead, and the songs all tell stories that play to this: love her, remember her, save her, be hers.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the vocals here for once are more memorable than the stories in her songs. There aren’t as many beautiful turns of phrases and poetry this time, with the best ones found in The Grants, celebration of a deceased loved one’s memories and life instead of a mourning epithet.

That song is one of the upper tier variations of That One Song here, by the way, due to the church elements mixing so well with Ms Del Rey’s slurry vocals and a raw, quiet backing track that isn’t afraid to be still for Ms Del Rey to go full a capella here and there.

At any rate, this album with its long-winded and pretentious title is a lovely progression of Lana Del Rey growing into a more confident, assured vocalist. I just wish the songs here tell a story as evocative and memorable as her last few efforts, but still, this is a solid, enjoyable thing from start to finish.