Gabriella Tolve '23
The 2010s’ resident sad girl Lana Del Rey graced fans with a new project—Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd—on March 24, 2023.
Originally set for release on March 10, the album had been moved to March 24. In the meantime, the singles from Del Rey’s ninth studio album seemed to hint at Lana returning to her roots.
Lana Del Rey is known for her somber sounds and often melancholy lyricism. Her 2019 album Norman…Rockwell is the last time fans recall having this sound from her. Fans of Lana Del Rey have been yearning for her older sound for the past two albums, Chemtrails Over the Country Club (March 2021)” and Blue Bannisters (October 2021). It seems as though fans are finally getting their wish with the release of her 2023 record.
Many fans feel that this album is already highly reminiscent of 2014’s Ultraviolence. The two most striking similarities fans are noticing are in the opening track “The Grants,” which feels very much like Ultraviolence’s ”Old Money,” and the title track, which resembles fan-favorite “The Other Woman.” As a fan myself, I agree with these comparisons. With the singles alone, Lana Del Rey manages to simultaneously make this album feel nostalgic and brand new.
Debuting at 12 am EST, the album stuns with a whopping sixteen tracks, containing five features and two interludes. Upon first listen, this album does feel like a crossroads between the styles of Ultraviolence and Blue Bannisters/Chemtrails over the Country Club. The latter two albums have been noted to show a progression and maturity in her music that had not been seen in any albums prior. Through Ultraviolence, Lana crafted some beautiful pre and post-choruses. Stylistically, these pre-choruses and post-choruses give the album a distinct and recognizable sound. Songs like “Candy Necklace (feat. Jon Batiste)" and "Kintsugi" carry these same entrancing pre-choruses.
Ultraviolence is also well-known for its vulnerability. The new album’s, “Fingertips” is an incredibly vulnerable track that is meant to cover all of the big moments that have already happened in her life and those she hopes to come. During the “Judah Smith Interlude,”, a powerful line that’s said is “I’ve discovered my preaching is mostly about me.” This is truly what Did You Know that There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is about: introspection and vulnerability.
The album itself feels like a turning point for Del Rey. The fact that the album doesn’t feel cohesive is a direct reflection of this. The first half consists of Lana’s classic piano ballads and the second half has much more of a hip-hop influence to it. Del Rey has stated that this has been done on purpose as she’s in the process of deciding if she'll stick with her classic sound or transcend into something new.
Regardless of her decision, we can be sure that fans will be excited to listen to whatever the music mogul comes up with for her next project. Until then, we’ll all be sure to have Ocean Blvd on repeat.
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