Trigger warning: Themes of sex and suicide are briefly discussed.
Were any of you aware that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd? Well, I wasn’t, but the award-winning singer/songwriter, Lana Del Rey made sure to inform all of her listeners about the said tunnel in her newest release, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.
On March 24th, Del Rey released her 9th studio album comprised of 16 tracks. The record consists of collaborations with Grammy-winning artist Jon Batiste, SYML, French-pianist RIOPY, Father John Misty, Bleachers, and Canadian-rapper Tommy Genesis. While many artists include features on their albums to simply name-drop or for unnecessary verses, each artist on this record played an integral role in the songs they were a part of.
Del Rey is known for her outlandish and lengthy song titles that can be found in her previous work, and the singer stuck to that theme in her newest release with songs like “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing (featuring RIOPY)”, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”, and one of my personal favorites, “Taco Truck x VB”.Â
The album includes Del Rey’s habitually dismal lyrics and lines. Though this album is piano-heavy and vastly different from her preceding records, the record is still highly enjoyable and worth multiple replays. Before the album’s release, I was anticipating a few more upbeat tracks to make an appearance, however, only 2 out of the 16 tracks were more “chipper” than the rest.
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd showcases a much more intimate side of Del Rey as she sings about dark and graphic themes like sexual scrutiny, suicide, race, religion, children, and family. Most of the tracks on this album are exceedingly depressing and dreary, so do proceed with caution while listening.Â
Despite the record’s general dreadful tone, one of my favorites on the album was “Taco Truck x VB”, which is one of the more “upbeat” tracks. Fans will find once the song’s beat changes, background vocals from Del Rey’s 2019 track “Venice B*tch” emerge, alluding to the new moniker the re-vamped song went under on her new album. Del Rey gave her older song a more trap-feel as she adds new beats and adlibs to the 2019 track.
Overall, I give Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd a 10/10. Lana supplies her listeners with a new take on her notable storytelling while also sticking to her routinely eccentric lyrics and themes.Â