Chemtrails Over the Country Club Review
Following her usual pattern of releasing albums every two years, Lana Del Ray released her seventh studio album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, on March 19, and the highly anticipated record did not disappoint. If you are unfamiliar with Lana’s music, let me preface this review by saying that her fan base mainly consists of indie rock/pop enthusiasts. If you are not a fan of this genre, and haven’t listened to much of her music, I would suggest you start by listening to Norman F*****g Rockwell or Lust for Life, which are two of her most popular albums that give a great sense of her style. Chemtrails may not be the album to turn to when you need a good party song, but if you are someone who can appreciate a more laid back album that exemplifies remarkable songwriting skills and breathtaking vocals, this is the album for you.
Those who are familiar with Lana Del Ray and have long awaited this album may be disappointed that there were no tracks that were done in the style of some of her faster, more upbeat hits like “Off to the Races,” or “Radio.” However, the album contains some of her most sophisticated work, and completely embodies the emotionally captivating aspect of her music that we all love about her style. A lot of the songs are similar to the style of “Happiness is a Butterfly” and “Hope is a Dangerous Thing For a Woman Like Me to Have- but I Have it,” which are some of her popular and more mellow hits from her last album.
The first track on the album, “White Dress,” is a slow, alternative style song done on the piano, and while it has the melodramatic storytelling aspect that is essential to her style, she does something different with this song that makes it all the more moving. Lana sings this entire track in a high-pitched soprano voice at the very peak of her vocal range, showcasing her astounding vocal control and natural talent that we already knew she had. In this song, Lana reminisces on her life before fame when she was working as a waitress at the age of 19. The lyrics “I felt free ‘cause I was only 19,” and “it kinda makes me feel like maybe I was better off” clearly show Lana’s longstanding internal battle with fame and the love-hate relationship she has with it, which is a recurring theme throughout the album.
Additionally, Lana shares some of the lessons that she has learned about fame through her lyrics. In “Wild at Heart,” she sings “we keep changing all the time/ the best ones lost their minds/ so I’m not gonna change,” which is a true testament to what Del Ray stands for as an artist. While artists everywhere often change their style and revamp their image for each new album, Lana has shown us that she will remain consistent with the type of music she releases, and while she may experiment with different mediums, her general style of songwriting is here to stay.
While I have enjoyed pretty much every song on the album, the ones that stand out the most to me are “White Dress,” “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” “Tulsa Jesus Freak,” and “Let Me Love You Like a Woman.” Of all of these, the title track, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” is the most traditional Lana-style song and contains all of the dramatic storytelling elements and sultry vocals that are critical to her work.
If nothing else, Chemtrails Over the Country Club has reaffirmed one of the most unique and admirable characteristics of Lana Del Ray as an artist, which is that she stays true to herself. Yes, her work has evolved over the years, but she does not change her music to fit in with whatever is trending at the moment. Although its songs are not ones that you would typically hear playing on the radio 24/7, Chemtrails is an alluring, complex, and introspective album that is definitely worth a listen.
By Sophia Sanders