On March 24, Lana Del Rey released her ninth studio album, “There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.” With 16 songs, the album takes a dive into her future, her fears, her family, and the human experience in the real world.
According to AP News, Del Rey has been labeled one of the best songwriters of her generation, and it won’t be long until this album hits the billboard charts like her breakthrough album, “Born to Die” did.
“I’ve been a big fan of Lana Del Ray since she released her first album, so when I heard that she was releasing another, I couldn’t wait,” said sophomore Brooke Walters. “I have to say this album is just as good as the first, maybe even better.”
The cover of Lana Del Rey’s newest album, “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.”
Source: AP News
Fans have been claiming this album to be Del Rey’s most personal. According to Variety, Del Rey is considering ostensibly meatier matters — starting, in the opening song, “The Grants,” with what both she and her loved ones will be thinking about after her death.
“I was put in a trance when I first listened to the new album, her music is like no other and it just hits different than any other artist’s songs,” said sophomore Peyton Brooks.
In the album, Del Rey sings specifically about death itself, deaths in her family, her not- so-great relationship with her mother, her loving father figures in her life, becoming a mother, God, sex, and more.
“I think a lot of people aren’t used to listening to music that is about deeper meanings in life, which I think that’s one of the things that makes her so special, her willingness to talk about real, true things,” said Brooks.
Scrolling through TikTok, it appears that the public has a very positive reaction to it, with little-to-nothing bad to say about Del Rey’s new album.
“It’s all I’ve been listening to for the last week, there’s nothing I dislike about it,” said sophomore Jillian Surfus.
According to the New York Times, at 78 minutes in length, “Ocean Blvd” is Del Rey’s strongest and most daring album since “Rockwell,” though it’s also marked by uneven pacing and occasional overindulgence.
“I admire the way that she has no filter in the songs she writes and sings,” said Brooks. “It makes it so much more fascinating and original.”
The New York Times also said part of the thrill of Del Rey’s music is the sense that she can and will say absolutely anything, regardless of who it may offend, and that is proven through the piercing words of her newest songs.
“One major detail about Lana Del Rey is that she tells a story through her albums, and I think that’s why so many people love her,” said Surfus. “She tells us very deep details about her life, and we have the pleasure of being able to listen to it.”
Del Rey also features other artists within this album including Pastor Judah Smith, the leader of a controversial celebrity megachurch on “The Grants,” Grammy award-winning uber talent Jon Batiste on “Candy Necklace” and “Jon Batiste Interlude,” producer-musician and Del Rey’s most frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff, as his moniker Bleachers, and Father John Misty on “Let The Light In.”
“Even those who aren’t a fan of Lana Del Rey should take some time out of their day to sit back and listen to ‘There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.’ It’s an album that can touch the hearts of many,” said Walters.
