.png)
Lana Del Rey has had an underrated impact on the music industry, from popularizing "sad girl bops" to being one of those female artists who reinvents her sound over and over again. Lana has racked up her most GRAMMY nominations ever in 2024, with her second nod in the Album of the Year category (and side note: Lana not only is nominated herself in this category, but she serves as a featured artist on not one, but two other albums nominated in the Album of the Year category). Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, her tenth studio album, is her most ambitious endeavor yet.
Stand-out tracks:"Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd" "Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)" "Taco Truck x VB"
My favorites: "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)" "Margaret (feat. Bleachers)" "Fishtail"
Opening track "The Grants" and title-track "Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd" shine with storytelling, stunning production, and the raw vocals that distinguish Lana Del Rey from any other artist. The vocal layering and instrumental production on the title-track is classic and simply stunning. The piano instrumental on "Sweet" is simple, resounding, and beautifully complementary to Lana's vocals reaching into ranges we don't often hear from her-- this one is understated, yet romantic.
"A&W" pulls back from the momentum of the beginning of the album, but it continues the album trademarks of stunning instrumentals, creative-yet-complementary production, and classic Lana Del Rey vocals. It also clocks in at a whopping seven minutes and 13 seconds, transitioning from slow-paced and whispery to synthy and boppy around the five and a half minute mark. If you didn't know by this point in the album, "Judah Smith Interlude" proves that this album is meant to tell a story and invoke a feeling, with its spoken sermon about the power of infatuation that is interspersed with Lana's commentary as if she were one of a crowd of listeners. This feels like the conclusion of the A-side of the album.
"Candy Necklace (feat. Jon Batiste)" enters the album's minor, darker-sounding part. If you've heard a track from Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd out in the world, it was likely this one. Fellow-Album of the Year nominee Jon Batiste provides a stunning, jazzy piano instrumental that pairs with Lana's vocal line singing the repeated "You've been actin' pretty restless/Dancin' like the young and restless/And I'm obsessed with it."
"Kintsugi" is a beautiful piano ballad that illustrates the desires of escapism in the face of challenges, with softly sung and incredibly effect repetitive "That's how the light gets in." "Paris, Texas (feat. SYML)" is another twinkly, simple piano track illustrating the conflicting emotions of leaving the place that you once called home.
The album thematically turns more hopeful and sonically opens a little wider with "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)." This one is more alt-pop, imploring that Lana is searching for the light amongst the dark:"But I have good intentions if even I'm one of the last ones/If you don't believe me, my poetry and my melodies/Feel it in your bones." The following "Let the Light In (feat. Father John Misty)" continues the search for light and searches for the beauty of human moments ("Put The Beatles on, light the candles, go back to bed/'Cause I wanna, wanna, wanna want you") with plucky acoustics and supple drums that complement the vocal duet. The collaboration with producer Jack Antonoff's Bleachers for "Margaret (feat. Bleachers)" achieves one of the most personalized and heart-warming romantic love songs I've come across in recent years, which tends to be out of character for an artist like Lana.
"Fishtail" and "Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)" pick up the conclusion of Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd with clever hooks and beat-heavier instrumentals, before the credits roll with groovy "Taco Truck x VB." This is the perfect conclusion to the album, with that classic-yet-spiced-up-a-bit production, suburban romance lyrics (where Lana refers to herself as "your little Venice bitch" yet again, after naming a track on NFR! "Venice Bitch"), and that harmonious, reverberant sad-girl nuance we all know and love from Lana Del Rey.
GRAMMY for Album of the Year
Lana Del Rey is undoubtedly an artist who has made an impact on the music industry since her debut well over a decade ago. Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd is one of her most creative and unique albums to date, with classic-yet-modernized production, creative interludes, and lyrical themes of humanizing and personal storytelling. This album doesn't quite have the classic hits of albums like 2012's Born to Die or poppy addiction of album like 2019's Norman F***ing Rockwell! or classic-Tumblr-era sad-rock of 2014's Ultraviolence. It does lag a little bit in the middle, but in avoiding the classic album structure and constraints of genres, Lana Del Rey has created something experimental, honest, and completely original. It's success lies in its embrace of imperfection, which unfortunately takes it out of the race amongst the nominees for Album of the Year. However, I hope that Lana's long-standing influence on the Alternative genre and an incredible B-side of Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd results in her finally taking home her first GRAMMY with a win in the Alternative Album category.
AM I OBSESSED?
Comments