Lana Del Rey’s seventh studio album delivers nostalgia to fans in a journey of reminiscence.
After masses of backlash in the past year with the public bashing her use of a mesh mask in the midst of a pandemic or allegations of racism, the singer is seen trying to escape the fame and scrutiny of LA.
Following her critically acclaimed album Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Lana reunites with producer Jack Antonoff to deliver Chemtrails Over The Country Club. The album opens with ‘White Dress’, in which Lana reflects on her days waitressing as a 19-year-old in Orlando. She romanticises her experiences as a young woman craving the male gaze as she whispers “Cause it made me feel, made me feel like a god”. As the tempo slows, the song’s final moments are the most intimate, as Lana admits “It kinda makes me feel, like maybe I was better off”.
Equipped with this major theme of escapism, the title track illustrates Lana’s desire to leave the microscope of the press. Sultry and evocative, the opening line “I’m on the run with you, my sweet love” creates the undeniable atmosphere of freedom which is evident from the start of her career in her first album Born to Die. However, Lana sounds at her most mature and reflective, finally happy and confident in her sound.
Swapping out grand orchestration for stripped-back acoustic guitars and soft percussion, Lana’s country influences are evident as she takes us on a great American road-trip on her pursuit for “a little piece of heaven” in Arkansas. ‘Wild at Heart’ sees Lana leaving the pressures of Calabasas and feeling at her freest in the Midwest. Lana makes it clear that fame comes at a high cost – one that she may regret paying.
Closing with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘For Free’, Lana features Weyes Blood and Zella Day to tie the album to a thought provoking close as the song illustrates the desire for playing music without the grandeur and lavish lifestyle that has come with it. Chemtrails Over The Country Club is confident in its delivery and message, which sees Lana at her most intimate and vulnerable with her fans.
Header image: Lana Del Rey. Credit: Interscope Records.