Lana Del Rey's Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Review
Handmade beauty sealed up by two man-made walls
Lana Del Rey is two years younger than me and has just released her ninth studio album. Nine Albums. If there's anyone that can make most of us feel quite inadequate, it's our Lana.
Far from being a Nepo-Baby (The current hip term for children of already-famous or rich people, able to create art only by virtue of the fact that they have the time and money to fail until they don't), Lana is the daughter of two office workers from the Grey Group. She struggled with alcoholism at a very early age, before learning how to play guitar after High School and having a first swipe at the music industry as "Lizzy Grant" in an ep that didn't gain momentum. Reinventing herself with an old Hollywood Glamour aesthetic Lana released a self-titled album (albeit spelled "Lana Del Ray") after which she received guidance from Ben Mawson and Ed Millett her managers to this day, catapulting her to the tops of our charts and hearts with "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans" on her second studio album, "Born to Die"
The road is long, we carry on
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd was released on March 24th, 2023 to rapturous acclaim - how many solo singer songwriters will manage such a feat and still put out such quality as this? Even if you can answer me right now, I don't want to hear about it until you've listened to this one. All 78 minutes of it. It's not just a collection of songs, this is an album, expertly produced by Jack Antonoff amongst others - a silent and deadly songwriter and producer who is also younger than me. Worried about my impending 0-suffixed birthday? No, why do you ask?
The album itself is a slow-burn. The opening tracks are almost a David Lynchian movement. Her sensitive, breathy voice beckons you in gently and before you realise what's happened, you're waist-deep in a complicated introspection of lyrics calling even God themselves into question.
It's not until halfway through "A&W", the fourth track on the album that are teased with some beats and rhythm. The track itself named the same as a famous American root beer and chain of restaurants, the second half leads you to a rhythmic chanting section, only for Lana to pull away once more, into an interlude with a preacher "Judah Smith" protelysing about God and desire, the religious theme running throughout her works; her upbringing being Catholic but her adult years more shrouded in mystery and spirituality.
Brought by the sunlight of the spirit to pour into me
Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing beloved items but leaving the repair visible, inspires the middle track on the album - While a repair can be almost invisible to the naked eye, the affect of that repair will always remain. Whether this is a physical object such as a plate, or a rift in the soul caused by heartache, there are things put in place to pull it together afterwards, whether it be glue, staples, therapy or the catharsis of songwriting. Lana bears her soul and her youth here, recounting folk songs and memories of a life she had to move on from.
By the time we're at track 10 Lana feels like she's relaxed fully into the album. Allowing us to exhale with her, "Let the Light In" featuring Father John Misty showcases her voice against his, delightful harmonies melting in with guitars guide us to the final side of the record.
When you know, you know
Cradling us through the last 20 minutes, "Margaret" featuring Bleachers turns the tempo back down. At points it feels like she's left herself short, that she's got more to tell us and she's having to push it into the song so we understand what she's feeling, as a final crash of drums give us goosebumps as the fade-out begins.
Except it doesn't, the final act is awake, cheerful, silly even. The cadence comes up and through "Peppers" and "Taco Truck x VB" the lyrics sound like a teenage crush, the exuberance and excitement as it feels she finishes the album teasing us with the next one already.
While the album is long at 78 minutes, at no point does it feel like a chore - like anything could be taken away. It stands proud with 4 sides of record and none of it wasted. I can continue being older than and underachieving Lana for years to come as long as she brings us records like this.
ALBUM DETAILS
Released on the 24th March 2023, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is available on Black Vinyl and Limited Edition Neon Purple Vinyl
Tracklist:
- The Grants
- Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
- Sweet
- A&W
- Judah Smith Interlude
- Candy Necklace (featuring Jon Batiste)
- Kintsugi
- Fingertips
- Paris, Texas (featuring SYML)
- Grandfather Please Stand on the Shoulders of My Father While He's Deep-Sea Fishing (featuring Riopy)
- Let the Light In (featuring Father John Misty)
- Margaret (featuring Bleachers)
- Fishtail
- Peppers (featuring Tommy Genesis)
- Taco Truck x VB
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"There's a certain point the body can't come back from
In one year, we've learned the turn of the mouth
The depth that the chest cavity takes"
-Kintsugi
