Lana Del Rey has finally returned with her fourth album, Lust For Life, and it has been well and truly worth the wait. The album features Del Rey’s signature pop noir ballads, though she has opted for a different approach this time around by offering a handful of collaborations across the album with the likes of A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd, and Stevie Nicks.
As always, Del Rey’s breathy, coquettish vocals are so hypnotic you almost don’t care what she’s singing about or the music accompanying her voice. The melodies, for the most part, are subtle yet dramatic; serving sweeping soundscapes that rise and fall climactically.
Summer Bummer and Groupie Love see Del Rey foraying into hip hop territory as A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti offer rapped verses, which mesh surprisingly well with her sound. Though it’s appearances from Stevie Nicks in Beautiful People Beautiful Problems and Sean Ono Lennon in Tomorrow Never Came that epitomise what a perfect duet should be, as both guest singers contrast and complement Del Rey’s vocals perfectly.
Whether you’re a Lana Del Rey fan or not, it’s pretty hard not to fall in love with this album. Throughout, Del Rey’s soaring vocals pull you into her world of moody melodies and dark, romantic lyrics. Some tracks are more memorable than others while others may require more than one listen to grow on you, but all in all Lust For Life is everything one could expect or want from a Lana Del Rey record.
