Released March 19, 2021
Interscope
2xLP
Nearly a decade into her career as the most renowned chronicler of Californian decadence this side of Vanderpump Rules, Lana Del Rey has moved into flyover country on Chemtrails Over the Country Club. Where she had previously enlisted orchestras and favoured ornate arrangements (Laurel Canyon folk at its wealthiest), Del Rey now leans into sparser, more acoustically backed arrangements that take cues from Apppalchian folk, smokehouse blues and nocturnal country music. While her lyrical obsession with nostalgia and opulent Americana remains, she shows herself to be in a more laid-back mood on this album, with her arrangements taking on more of a spontaneous tone, resulting in a more freewheeling listen than we’re used to.
IYL: Weyes Blood, Nancy Sinatra, astrology, candles