American singer-songwriter and producer Lana Del Rey released her eighth studio album “There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard” on March 24, shocking fans with the new sound.
After making it on the radar in 2012 with her song “Summertime Sadness,” Del Rey became one of the most well-known names in the music industry. With her consistent themes of retro America in the ’50s and ‘60s, her aesthetics have always drawn in listeners along with her soulful voice.
Initially releasing the title track as her debut single for this new record, fans were instantly excited for Del Rey to return to her eclectic Americana sound. But ultimately, it fell back into the same genre of her two previous albums, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” and “Blue Banisters,” which were not fan favorites. The new album as a whole remains unimpressive to longtime fans of the singer.
The album is unimpressive with very few standout tracks, leaving fans believing that the singer may have peaked with her fifth album “Norman ‘F****** Rockwell.’”
There may not be many tracks that listeners will reach for, but that does not mean the entire album is a skip.
“Sweet,” track three, brings to light her soft vocals complementing the piano that is highlighted in the song. Lyrics like “Not talkin’ ’bout the stuff that’s at the very heart of things. Do you want children? Do you wanna marry me?” and “ I wanna do them with you, Do you wanna do them with me?” only emphasizes the longing and love that the song emulates. This song truly encapsulates the tone that fans of Del Rey are most familiar with.
The single “A&W” was initially the most-loved track released. While being just over seven minutes long, the song is so different from what would be expected. The first half is slow and melodic only for the second half to turn into a much darker and more synth-heavy backing track. The ending lyrics of “Your mom called, I told her, you’re f****** up big time. But I don’t care, baby, I already lost my mind,” only tie in with this more sensual feeling song.
Four tracks on this record have featured artists: “Candy Necklace (feat Jon Batiste)”, “Paris, Texas (feat. SYML)”, “Let the Light In (Feat. Father John Misty)” and “Margaret (feat. Bleachers)”, which seem to be the most favored songs on this release. All of these have had the best reactions from fans for all of the right reasons. Having the melodic lyrics sung as duets has been rare for Del Rey to do, which has made this record significantly different from previous releases.
The overall sound for this record is not cohesive, but that does not take away from the lyrical beauty of this album. While it may not shine in the musical realm, this could stand out in the poetry world. While this may have some outstanding songs, the rest of the album could only be categorized as another decent album from the singer.
Follow Keely on Twitter @menyhartkeely
