★★★★
CW: ableism
Lana Del Rey’s latest release is ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’, the second single from her upcoming album of the same name. Meant to be released in September, it has now been delayed to March. Lana has been the subject of a lot of controversy of late, most recently with regards to her comments on the storming of Capitol Hill by Trump supporters. Reportedly, her comments were defending Trump, saying he was unaware of what he was inciting. She claims this was taken out of context and clarified that meant he lacks empathy and is a narcissistic sociopath meaning he couldn’t comprehend it, and she posted a (now-deleted) video on Instagram asking for her music rather than her politics to be focused on.
Yet amid all this, she released her newest single. It seemingly returns to the more vintage and cinematic vibe that was so present in her older music, which her two previous albums seemed like a departure from. Thematically, ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’ could almost belong to Born To Die, romanticising Gatsby-esque grandeur, opulent displays of wealth, escapism and fast cars.
She is, of course, much older, and more settled in her suburban life of coffee meetings and farmers markets, which we see when she sings “I’m not unhinged, or unhappy, I’m just wild.” Her range also shines through on this track, with its lower melody backed by higher, layered harmonies as the song builds. Jack Antonoff’s production brings the track to a climactic flourish, then fades out to drum beats underlying the song. Overall, Lana Del Rey has created a beautiful, nostalgic song that leaves much to be anticipated.
Image: Justin Higuchi via Flickr