Elena Lederman
Staff Reporter
2 May, 2023
Lana Del Rey’s new album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, has 16 songs. Lana del Rey is known for her melancholy songs and her soothing voice. She has several popular songs, one of her most well-known being “Summertime Sadness,” which hit number 1 in August of 2013.
This album is very well put together, hitting number 2 on the Billboard top 200. Every song has a deeper meaning behind it, the lyrics she uses are cryptic but connected. The first song starts off with a gospel choir, which eventually leads to Lana joining in. The last song on the album, “Taco Truck x VB”, is solely her vocals, it has a louder beat as the song progresses. Some of these songs can be cryptic and harder to understand or interpret. The album was great to listen to, and hearing each of the songs evolve and change beats was really interesting. None of the songs were consistent, the beat or even the energy in the song would change. For example, “A&W,” the fourth song on the album, goes from a calmer, piano background to a faster paced, louder beat. The lyrics and the energy in the song completely change along with the beat. The versatility isn’t limited to this single song though, it continues throughout the album. In songs like “Taco Truck x VB”, which includes a drastic change from the beginning to the end of the song, going from calm to a faster pace and beat.
Even though there is variety, there is also some consistency, just because the beat is changing doesn’t mean that the tone of the song changes. Lana Del Rey has a sultry, calm voice. Regardless of the beat or the energy of the song, her voice is what puts it all together. Her voice is consistent throughout the album, so many of the songs sound similar.
The versatility definitely makes the album easier to listen to. It’s not repetitive but it has consistent energy, so if you’re a fan of Lana Del Rey’s specific style, you won’t feel like you’re missing out on something because it stays consistent from song to song. The vocals in each song are beautiful. She doesn’t extend her words much, meaning it can sound more like talking at certain parts, but you can still hear her singing voice. In several songs, she has a calm, flowy tone similar to Billie Eilish’s on her “dont smile at me” album. If someone enjoyed listening to songs like that this would be a good album to listen to. She sings with the music instead of the music being an addition to the song, which adds to the experience. The production sound is great at keeping the listener engaged because it changes. Throughout each song there are crescendos and decrescendos that keep the listeners attention.
In the past, Lana Del Rey’s albums have not incorporated many religious ideas. This album seems to be different in that way, several of the songs sound like church choirs. There are also several artists featured on the album, including Jon Batiste and Tommy Genesis. They featured in two of the 16 songs and helped to add the religious element to the album. “Candy Necklace” features Jon Batiste, who has written several songs about Christianity. The Bible is brought up throughout this specific song, as well as the Christian God. Although Father John Misty is not actually a priest, he is also featured in the album, on the song “Let The Light In.” The song doesn’t necessarily have anything pertaining to God in the lyrics, but I think it still relates to the religious energy in the album that it seems she’s trying to portray.
I enjoyed listening to the album. I think that because there was a two year gap between her last album and this one, she put time and effort into it. She is definitely a very talented artist with beautiful vocals. Her music seems to be the type directed to a specific audience, with her calm beats and calm voice. So it may not be received the same by everyone that listens to it.
Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd captures Lana Del Rey’s talent beautifully, and shows that she never fails to put something good together.
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