Lana del rey's new album: hit or miss?

By Logan Wolff, 2021

Published 3/30/21

On March 19th, Lana Del Rey released her highly anticipated sixth studio album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club. With only 11 tracks, the album is noticeably shorter than the majority of her work. In Del Rey’s typical fashion, the album has already received mixed reviews, especially following arguably one of the best albums of her career, Norman F*****g Rockwell (NFR). So is this album another highlight of her career or does it fall short? Let's find out.

White Dress

The opening track should always stand out as it sets the tone for what’s to come. To me, it’s one of the strongest highlights of the album. Although I must confess on my initial listen I was a little thrown off and questioned what the rest of the album might sound like. With very little instrumentation, she sings over a beautiful piano melody. Her vocals on this song are what stand out the most. She intentionally sings with a very airy and raspy voice to reflect the nostalgia she feels for the 19 year old version of herself she sings about. Both the melodies and tone of her voice are like nothing we’ve heard from her before which is probably why it took a few listens to appreciate the song. But with each listen I seem to fall more in love with the track.

Chemtrails Over the Country Club

As the title track and second single she dropped, it would be expected to be a stand out track as well. There are many aspects I love about it, but I don’t know if it will stand out over time. There isn’t much that makes this song unique compared the majority of her discography. However to me it stands a solid track that I don’t see myself skipping when listening to the entire album.

Tulsa Jesus Freak

Another favorite of mine, she seems to be experimenting with a new sound. Lana makes more stylistic choices with her voice while experimenting with exaggerated autotune. To me this works very well with the track. I enjoy her singing in her lower range with a more powerful chorus reminiscent of Ultraviolence. The percussion sets a solid beat that moves the song along. My favorite parts of the album are the ones where she seems to be experimenting with new techniques both vocally and sonically. I wish she explored this potential new sound more throughout the album.

Let Me Love You Like a Woman

There isn’t a whole lot to say about this song. Being the first single she dropped, I’ve had plenty of time to listen to it. And I must admit I’ve never been very impressed with it. Sure it's a solid Lana track with some beautiful vocals, but it definitely doesn’t stand out in the album and it’s one I can see skipping on occasion.

Wild at Heart

Another solid track, this song feels very reminiscent of NFR, which I certainly enjoy. This comes as no surprise as she partnered with producer and writer, Jack Antanoff on both albums. It has a strong and open chorus that continues to build throughout the song. It’s the type of song that you want to blast while driving with all the windows in the middle of summer. This album as a whole also feels like a summer vibe.

Dark But Just a Game

Another personal favorite of mine, I’m a fan of the darker melody and tone as well as the percussion. It’s very dynamic as she strips everything back in the chorus, leaving only her vocals. I love the style as it sounds similar to Tulsa Jesus Freak. It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks.

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

This is by far my favorite song. I’m not typically able to choose just one favorite on her albums because there are many strong tracks, but this one stuck out to me pretty quickly. Between the very intimate and stripped back verses to the beautifully sung chorus juxtaposed by the bridge, I love everything about it. She sings in her higher register for the chorus in a way so specific to her as an artist. She’s able to create such a specific tone that is very emotional in a beautiful way. It reminds me of standing on the beach at sunset.

Yosemite

Reminiscent of something off of Lust for Life, there isn’t much about this song that stands out to me. The lyrics are very personal and intimate, but sonically it sounds very familiar to her older work. Which don’t get my wrong, isn’t always a bad thing and is bound to happen in every artists’ career. It’s a pleasant song but not one I will listen to on rotation.

Breaking Up Slowly

Featuring an artist with a country sounding voice, she doesn’t seem to add much to the song. I think their voices blend well together while also contrasting each other, but I think it would still be a solid song without her. Again she writes with personal and specific lyrics that feel very self aware. It’s not a personal favorite, but it seems to be growing on me with each listen.

Dance Till We Die

I’m very torn about this song. Again lyrically it’s very personal and resembles her maturity as an artist. But the verses and chorus sound similar to NFR. Being the second to last song of the album, it doesn’t do much to stand out. That is until the bridge comes in. Out of nowhere she completely switches up the song. She sings with a much more strong and belted voice that she rarely ever uses, over a more jazzy and energetic sound. I’m in love with this bridge, potentially one of her best of all her discography and one of my favorite parts of the whole album. Which is frustrating because the rest of the song feels so boring compared to it. I’m left wanting more, wishing she explored this sound further.

For Free (feat. Zella Day & Weyes Blood)

As the final track of the album, I must admit I’m left feeling a little disappointed. Had it been placed in a different order, I might be more inclined to appreciate it. Although it does seem to be growing on me with each listen. Her voice works well with the features as they sound like a cohesive folk band, which I can appreciate. But I’m not sure if it necessarily fits with the rest of the album and it doesn’t do much to impress me as the last track. There just isn’t anything special about the features or the song itself.

Overall I am mostly pleased with the album. The standard might have been set too high as she is one of my favorite artists. There were some new sounds that I loved and songs that I really did enjoy (White Dress, Tulsa Jesus Freak, Dark But Just a Game, and Not All Who Wander Are Lost). But there are also a few songs that I am bored with and will most likely skip. I wish she developed the new sounds she tried out and perhaps she might do just that in her next album set to be released on June 1st, Rock Candy Sweet. I’m interested to see if over time I grow to like the album a lot more or if I will grow bored of it and move on to something else.