Artist Lana Del Rey has just released one of her best albums yet.
On Friday, March 24, Del Rey dropped her ninth studio album, “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard,” also known as DYKTTATUOB for short.
The album is 77 minutes long including 14 songs and two interludes and it features several other artists. In addition to this, it has been described as Americana and alternative pop.
Del Rey has been making music on and off since 2008, each album reflecting her life at the time of its release.
Listeners like me have heard Del Rey mature through her changing music. Over time, the focus of her albums have shifted from partying, drugs and sex to a deeper, less-filtered side of her.
When I first listened to the album, hearing the tracks “Sweet” and “Fingertips” brought me to tears.
“Fingertips” is one of Del Rey’s most personal songs to date, in which she dives into a great deal of her childhood trauma and her insecurities as a person. Del Rey’s voice stands alone with little background music to accompany her. It’s a heavy listen, but I loved how raw and emotional the song is.
In Track 3, “Sweet,” Del Rey sings beautifully about love and her future with her now fiancé, Evan Winiker. Her lyrics contained questions for their future and created a strong sense of longing and romance. Overall, “Sweet” is my favorite song on the album because its serene beauty is unparalleled.
Contrary to the emotional ballads Del Rey is known for, this album also contained songs with a more edgy, sensual side. “Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)” is a remix of Genesis’ song “Angelina” and contains a fresh rhythmic electric guitar beat. Del Rey and Genesis’ voices intertwine perfectly throughout the track, making it one of the catchiest songs on the record.
Track 4, “A&W”, is the longest song on the album at seven minutes and 13 seconds.
About four minutes into the song, Del Rey shifts from the slow piano-based melody to a harsh base beat, which makes for a more engaging and dynamic listening experience.
One of my favorite things about the new record is Del Rey’s musical diversity. She didn’t limit herself to one music style, but instead experimented with different beats, backgrounds, artists and interesting vocals.
Additionally, the album contained segments with other artists like Jon Batiste that made the music even more compelling. The Jon Batiste interlude contains bits of conversation between Batiste and Del Rey and is overlapped with unsettling strings and piano. I got chills when I listened to it for the first time and the interludes provided a nice break from the heavier songs.
The album as a whole is a reflection of Del Rey’s mind and these interludes do a great job of referencing her dark past.
Not only did Del Rey produce an amazing album, she also promoted it in creative ways. I love how active Del Rey is on social media, giving her followers little snippets and hints about the album before its official release. It is rumored that Del Rey will release four bonus tracks on Apr. 21, one being a re-recording of her unreleased song “Yes to Heaven.”
After Listening to DYKTTATUOB many times, I can confidently claim that this is Del Rey’s best album to date. The variety throughout the record was amazing. She combines small parts of each of her different eras to create this masterpiece. The album shows a different side of her, breaking away from her past melancholy albums and showing a new more personal raw layer.
