Lana Del Rey’s new album receives mixed reviews

“Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” released March 24 of this year, has received both praise and criticism.

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Lana Del Rey

One of the promotional photo shoots for this album had Lana donned in hairbows and soft fabrics.

Lana Del Rey has famously been known as a lyrical genius and one of the queens of the music industry, but that doesn’t mean she’s untouchable. With her album’s latest release, many of her long-time fans voiced their disappointment on social media.

“Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is arguably one of her most vulnerable albums, with whole stories unraveling in her songs. That being said, many fans were expecting a more poppy, energetic album after her single “A&W” was released on Valentine’s Day. This song began with a delicate, soft lyrical couple of minutes, but later transitioned into a trap song. This left listeners in anticipation of more pop/trap tracks on the album, but unfortunately, only a handful of songs were like that.

An album cover for DYKTTATUOB that captures Lana’s vision for the album. (Lana Del Rey)

One of the most anticipated songs on the album was “Taco Truck x VB,” which is a new take on one of her older songs, “Venice *****.” Wiregrass Alumni Kristen Etchison, who has been a fan of Lana’s work for years, expressed dissatisfaction in the song.

“I expected more… I didn’t realize it would just be ‘Venice *****’ with a trap soundtrack behind it,” Etchison said.

One of the final versions of the album cover to be released before the album came out. (Lana Del Rey)

This album was very emotional and poetic for Lana Del Rey, with songs mentioning her abuse, assault, and desire to have children. Hinted at in “Let the Light In,” Lana has recently announced that she is engaged. This may have been alluded to in one of the album covers as well, where Lana is featured in a white dress and veil.

Wiregrass teacher Alexa Sheppard, whose favorite artist of all time is Lana, was a fan of “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.”

“I’ve been listening to [Lana] since I was a sophomore [in high school],” Sheppard stated. “I really enjoyed this album… ‘Let The Light In’ is my favorite song.”

Lana Del Rey’s newest album is available to stream on Spotify.