Depending on if you consider 'Paradise' a stand alone album or not (I don't), 'Lust for Life' is Lana Del Rey's 4th (or 5th) album. Since breaking through the public conscious in June 2011 with 'Video Games,' Lana has come to be synonymous with the 'sad girl' aesthetic, romanticizing toxic relationships, drug use and depression. Often knocked for this, I argue that this is half of her appeal, the vulnerability she shows in her desperation is certainly why so many of us millennials connected with Lana.
While not a sonic shift, you'll still hear the signature juxtaposition of mellow hip hop beats with cinematic strings and folk influences, 'Lust for Life' is a thematic shift for Del Rey. Instead of being peppered with nods to daddy and wrapped up in self lamenting, she manages to sound more hopeful, and dare I say, more empowered, than ever before. Songs like 'In My Feelings,' see Lana taking control of an unhealthy relationship, calling her beau a 'loser' and demanding he 'get that cigarette smoke out of my face.' She asserts herself in the chorus by saying "who's tougher than this bitch? who's freer than me? You wanna make the switch, be my guest, babe." It's hard to recall a Lana song in which she so defiantly gives the kiss off to her man.
In the album closer 'Get Free,' Lana reflects on some of her darkest days (see- the song 'blackest day' from Honeymoon) by vowing to keep going and change her mindset. The lyric 'sometimes it feels like I got a war in my mind, I wanna get off but I keep riding the ride' cleverly references her single 'Ride' while resolving to just keep going, even when times get hard.
Another major thematic shift of 'Lust for Life' is seen in Lana's abandonment of self destructive habits. In the song 'Heroin,' she sings about the internal struggle to prioritize self care despite her sadness and all of the external noise that keeps pulling her back into her old ways. The dreamy chorus line "flying to the moon again, dreaming about Heroin" is switched in the final chorus to say "flying to the moon again, dreaming about marzipan, taking all my medicine, to take my thoughts away..... I hope that I come back one day, to tell you that I've really changed."
Del Rey has often been criticized for being 'anti-feminist,' preferring to play the 'other woman' than the girls' girl. She has been quoted in recent interviews as saying how the current political situation has made her feel threatened (what woman hasn't?), and this feeling of uncertainty has caused her to not only pepper her lyrics with more pro-female lines, but also more political awareness and American skepticism than ever before. Songs like "God Bless America-And All The Beautiful Women In It" (produced by Metro Boomin') contain a nod to other women "may they stand strong and proud like lady liberty" with two gun shots after each line in the chorus. The gun shot is especially effective because it conveys a duality in her message, she rejoices in her love of women, on the other hand, neither Lana, nor most women, feel safe in America as it stands. Songs like 'When the World Was At War We Kept Dancing' blatantly ask "Is it the end of America?" again, a huge thematic shift from previous works both celebrating and idolizing the country (National Anthem, American, etc.)
In Lust for Life, Lana has given her fans a return, sonically, to some of her most beloved albums, as in terms of production, this sounds very similar to Born to Die, but has managed to mature and evolve in terms of subject matter. She has shown extreme growth as an artist who still struggles to see the light at times, but despite the overwhelmingly desperate political situation and uncertainty, sees a glimmer of hope, which she gracefully shares with her listeners throughout the 16 song record.
Personal Favorites:
- Summer Bummer
- 13 Beaches
- Heroin
- Change
- When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing
Most insta worthy lyrics:
- "Hip hop in the summer, don't be a bummer, babe" -Summer Bummer
- Key lime and perfume and festivals" -Groupie Love
- "Past Ventura in lenses plenty in the white sunshine" -13 Beaches
Lust For Life was released on 7/21/17 and is available now.