“Look at you kids with your vintage music” croons Lana Del Rey’s gentle voice over a muted intro. The queen of wistful ballads and dark instrumentals is back with a track stunning in its simplicity.
With every release Lana reiterates that she is wise beyond her years and this one is no different, as she paints a picture dripping with nostalgia for the days of a reckless youth. She simultaneously positions herself, however, both as detached and in the midst of it all, making for a much more interesting perspective.
Tinged with a sadness that permeates through most of her work, the single is carried entirely by her voice—it brightens and ascends in sync with the fluctuating patterns of the melody.
A handful of posters appearing around the world the day before release merely added to the mystery and allure of an artist who has become so much more than the “gangster Nancy Sinatra”.
Del Rey is an icon of love and loss in an increasingly more superficial and meaningless pop industry and this new release is a promising taste of what is to come.
