[REVIEW] Lana Del Ray - Honeymoon
By: Rachel Harper
The Queen of Coney Island is back with a brand new album, and she sounds just as sweet and sultry as ever. Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon was released on Sept. 18th, only a little over a year after her last album, Ultraviolence. So far, it’s been well received by critics and the public.
Long-time fans of Lana will be pleased to hear that her overall sound hasn’t changed much with this new record, but it’s not exactly a replication of her old material either. Her music continues to drown in sensuality, and a melancholic nostalgia that is reminiscent of black and white films, old-fashioned cars and victory rolls. But this album is a little more uplifting than her previous ones, with some really beautiful melodies and lyrics to boot. She has definitely worked some magic this time around.
One thing I’ve always loved about Del Rey’s work is that her music brings about powerful nostalgia for lives I’ve never had. This album is no different. I think this can partly be attributed to the fact that superficially her songs have an absolutely gorgeous, timeless sound. When all the violins and cellos hum out together, combined with Lana’s voice, nothing can stop you from being blissfully swept away. “Swan Song” embodies this sentiment perfectly, along with “Terrence Loves You” and “Salvatore.”
Unlike the unified beauty of the music alone, the overall themes of the album seem to contradict each other. Many of Del Rey’s songs (including “Religion” and “The Blackest Day”) involve her being complicit in her own objectification as a woman, sounding all too pleased only to be a man’s trophy girl, or by defining herself by the love or presence of another.
But contrasting those messages are the songs full of self-celebration like “High by the Beach” that are very high-energy, and so much fun to sing in the shower. The messages are definitely mixed, but I think we’ve all learned by now to take Lana’s music with a grain of salt, and just enjoy what she throws our way. Honeymoon is a timeless masterpiece that’s sure to bring out the inner goddess in everyone.
