Lana Del Rey – ‘Honeymoon’

Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon is a dreamy, alternative release that is slow to start and doesn’t really ‘get going’ like her past brilliance. After Ultraviolence, there was a lot to live up to and, personally, this album just isn’t there. It has her classic mellow sound of unique vocals and moaning guitar, but there is something crucial missing: excitement!

The songs melt into one another like a dribble of spilt milk sliding off the kitchen counter. There is a slow, breathy, repetitive motion that moves between the tracks, a prominent note in ‘Music to Watch Boys To’. The album misses out on the fun of Lana’s genius that used to twin her own poetic themes: Florida’s youth experience, with vintage style and classic sounds. ‘Terrence Loves You’ begins with a promising remembrance of Lana’s ‘Blue Velvet’ cover. This melancholic lament is a highlight of the album; bluesy and moody, with instruments stung throughout in a lazy twirl. The end of this track leads superbly into the whine of guitar that opens ‘God Knows I Tried’.

This later song has a great balance of vocals and guitar with poignant lyrics and it’s memorable. In fact, listening over to the change between these two was the only thing that made me reconsider giving this album one star. On listening through the first few times I found myself getting bored and drifting off. It’s a background music album if ever I heard one. The earlier release of ‘High By the Beach’ did nothing to excite my interest before the album came out, and yet this track has the most appeal from being catchy and interesting like the days of Born to Die.

The songs melt into one another like a dribble of spilt milk sliding off the kitchen counter.

Lana Del Rey moved from her first studio album through to Ultraviolence smoothing out the popular, bopping sounds in favour of a more blues-rock sound that really compliments her style and sound. Her last album was a peak that I truly hope she can recover; it had the balance of exciting innovation and classic influences that Honeymoon profoundly lacks. Like some albums, I find myself pondering if it would be more enjoyable to listen to when under the influence of something, but I seriously can’t image it would be much fun to listen to at a live performance.

There are moments of brilliance, but these are fleeting and far apart. In the majority, Honeymoon is boring and slow with little lyrical intrigue and a loss of the alternative sound that Lana Del Rey has been praised of in the last few years. Tracks to listen again to are certainly ‘Terrence Loves You’, ‘God Knows I Tried’, ‘Religion’ and ‘Art Deco’, because they echo traces of the great ‘Young and Beautiful’, ‘Ride’ and ‘Summertime Sadness’. It is not a bad release, and it’s nice and mellow to have playing in the background, but it is just not up to the standards we have come to expect of Del Rey’s previous movements in the industry. I would go to no lengths to positively dissuade anyone from buying this album. I can only reiterate how disappointed I was, and recommend a good dose of Ultraviolence to remind a listener of Lana Del Rey’s talent; may it return to brilliant power in her next attempt.