Lana Del Rey - 'Lust For Life' Album Review

Lana Del Rey – ‘Lust For Life’

The cover of her new album ‘Lust for Life’ features a blissful-looking Lana smiling gleefully, a drastic change in comparison to her usual model-like thousand yard stare that we have become familiar with from her previous album covers. According to a recent NME interview with Del Rey, this unusual image is representing of a new artistic chapter with her stating that she wanted to move on from “wherever that other place was that Honeymoon and Ultraviolence came from. I loved those records, but I felt a little stuck in the same spot.” I therefore expected something a bit different from Miss. Del Rey on this new record of hers.

Del Rey’s lyrical approach has often centred around the idea of loving someone you shouldn’t, and this particular theme remains prevalent on ‘Lust for Life’, particularly on album opener ‘Love’ and titular track ‘Lust for Life’, featuring The Weeknd. However, despite remaining consistent in regards to these lyrical approaches, Del Rey has branched out to tackling thorny political issues on this new record. ‘When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing’ divulges how to remain positive in the Donald Trump-era, whilst the slow, sedated trap track ‘Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind’ discusses an omniscient Del Rey observing a group of young girls at a festival and praying for their safety in these troubling times.

However, due to her previous comments regarding potentially changing her approach, you can occasionally find yourself on this record desperately searching for a message that actually hasn’t been embedded. The majority of the songs are classic love-based Del Rey ballads that utilise her gorgeous vocals to full effect and gently swing their way through their running. The quintessential Del Rey themes of love, youth, drugs, nostalgia are weaved seamlessly throughout ‘Lust for Life’. ‘Groupie Love’, a love song written from the perspective of a devoted fan desperately seeking the attention of the artist they desire features typical Del Rey lines such as “This is my life, you by my side / Key lime and perfume and festivals.”

Del Rey also cleverly utilises special guest appearances on this record, a unique sight for her records that have forever been pure Del Rey and have featured no other artists. The brilliant blending of Del Rey and New York rapper A$ap Rocky on both ‘Groupie Love’ and ‘Summer Bummer’ is inspired as the blissful vocals of Del Rey gorgeously counteract with the bars of Rocky (however, the inclusion of Playboi Carti on ‘Summer Bummer’ seems rather pointless as he doesn’t really add anything other than a few noises...). The Beatles inspired ‘Tomorrow Never Came’ featuring Yoko & John’s son Sean Ono Lennon intertwines new and old brilliantly whilst the Stevie Nicks featuring track ‘Beautiful People Beautiful Problems’ is a whimsical ballad that is altogether wonderful.

‘Lust for Life’ has a unflinching brilliance about it, it would be exceptional if it wasn’t 4 or 5 tracks too long which makes the majority of the second half of this record ends up feeling lost and overall disappointing. But, despite this, you can’t deny Del Rey’s refreshing radiance on this new record; she has surpassed expectations and proved that she is capable of remaining as the leader of this indie-pop genre, whilst also dipping her toe into a variety of different sub-genres.

Overall Rating- 8/10

Fave Tracks- ‘Summer Bummer’, ‘Cherry’, ‘Groupie Love’, ‘In My Feelings’, ‘When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing, ‘Beautiful People Beautiful Problems’, 'Tomorrow Never Came' 

Least Fave Tracks- ‘Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind’, ’13 Beaches’, 'Change'