Lana Del Ray silences honeymoon period, dazzles with fourth album

Album cover courtesy of the artist. Ever since she bewitched music bloggers together with her in 2011, the 30-year-old New York native (actual identify: Lizzy Grant) has gotten Web vitriol for her flat, indifference towards and seemingly disingenuous particulars about her. And but, she’s weathered the storm and located crossover success: enjoying sold-out exhibits and festivals this summer time, incomes Grammy and Golden Globe award nominations, and releasing a 3rd album, Honeymoon, out now. However, the emotional impact is numbed in a haze-like delivery by an indifferent protagonist’s voice.

The overwrought title track fails to leave a lasting impression, but its follow-up “Music to Watch Boys To” is an immediate standout. Del Rey proves that she is dedicated to her craft, and it sounds more handsome than ever. You go Lana! Us gearheads approve of your beau’s choice of cars. There is a vague reference to David Bowie’s “Major Tom” among equally vague lyrics, such as, “I lost myself when I lost you”. For better and sometimes for worse, Lana Del Rey has become our most independent-spirited pop star.

In early interviews discussing the album, Del Rey stated that she had ideas for a song about “shadows passing in front of [faces]”, and the album as a whole reflects this vaguely shallow state of existence. This song describes the disillusionment of young peoples’ desperate attempts at fame in the 21 century.

“Terrence Loves You” is a stunning “50s-esque piano-driven song featuring distorted vocals”. “I feel what occurred was it was stated to imply one thing Lana understood, after which when it got here out, it seemed fairly irresponsible, maybe, and she or he went into panic mode”. It’s not the kind of album you listen to for getting pumped on the way to a bar.

Lana Del Rey was spotted in the Malibu hills of California in a Ferrari California.

. The song depicts Lana walking the dancefloor looking to score.

Despite the counterculture touches scattered through this album, the interlude is the most surprising.

But what might be the most striking detail of note about Honeymoon is the musical direction Lana Del Rey seems to be heading toward in the future, something Forbes points out. During some performances, she sings or lip-syncs along with the album track while she stares at her smartphone, languidly swiping through prospective suitors on Tinder. She’s stuck in sluggish for much of her fourth orchestral-pop album – and not in a good way.

Back to the sadness. In this very sleepy-sounding day, Lana references Billie Holiday, who is known for engaging in a similar style as this song. A trip-hop inspired trio in the middle of the album displays a newfound sense of power and defiance in Del Rey’s music, as evidenced by the ultimate kiss-off anthem “High By the Beach” and the sensual lures of the seductive “Freak“.

Social media revealed very little about what was coming. Lana breathes a modern, if not sinister, life in a tribute to Nina Simone’s ’60s jazz track. She delivers numerous lines on Honeymoon as though she might fall asleep before the song has finished; she writes like someone who has given up on language midway through the construction of the lyric. However, there were enough differences for me not to get bored by it. Del Rey’s exploration of pop beats that more listeners like, and her surprising turn to more optimistic lyrics, even if it was just one song, kept her image fresh.