Lana Del Rey's highly anticipated third full-length album Honeymoon was released on Friday. And it's been playing on repeat for me ever since.
The album comprises one hour and five minutes of 14 dreamy songs that will make you feel as though Lana has access to the darkest, saddest parts of your soul. Would we have expected any less?
When Del Rey released her first single off the album, "High By The Beach" on Aug. 10 with lyrics like "Lights, camera, action / I'll do it on my own / Don't need your money, honey / To get me what I want," we all knew to anticipate her in all her unapologetically fiery glory. And yes, we got it. Take a look at the track list below.
1. Honeymoon 5:50
2. Music to Watch Boys to 4:51
3. Terrence Loves You 4:51
4. God Knows I Tried 4:41
5. High by the Beach 4:18
6. Freak 4:55
7. Art Deco 4:55
8. Burnt Norton (Interlude) 1:22
9. Religion 5:23
10. Salvatore 4:41
11. The Blackest Day 6:06
12. 24 4:56
13. Swan Song 5:23
14. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood 3:02
Perhaps the most notable songs on the album include (besides "High By The Beach," which possesses seismic beats that became an instant fan favorite) are: "Salvatore," in which Del Rey croons half in Italian; "Honeymoon," the orchestral intro track kicking off the album with the line, "We both know that it's not fashionable to love me;" and "Freak," with hard-hitting bass and Del Rey's soft hypnotic vocals.
Before its official release, all American Urban Outfitters retail stores organized official listening parties for fans and shoppers on Sept.12 at 3 p.m. with a single straight run-through of the album and the opportunity to order an exclusive vinyl copy with alternative cover art. And, as expected, fans recorded low-quality versions of the songs and leaked them onto the Internet. But hey, that doesn't matter anymore, because now you can get the real thing in all its glory on Spotify, iTunes and otherwise.
Compared to her past two albums, Honeymoon may be the rawest in terms of production without the electro beats of Born To Die and the gritty guitar from Ultraviolence. Del Rey's lyrics and vocals resonate most here. And they're more surreal than we've previously heard.
Know that when I say, "This is the most Lana that Lana has ever sounded," it's simply indicative of her inexplicably unique sound. One of the qualities appreciated most about Del Rey as an artist is her ability to create cohesive albums with each song flowing hypnotically and seamlessly into the next, as if falling deeper and deeper into a dream. Listen to Honeymoon when you're falling asleep, when you're driving down an open road, when you're sifting through your feelings, or when you're smoking a pipe in the parlor of your '50s mansion wearing a full-length fur coat drinking a dry martini. These are all the vibes Lana's album supplies.
