by Joseph Oscilowski ’22

Almost a decade and a half after her first album Sirens, American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey strives to continuously push out music. The day after the release of her seventh album in early 2021 titled Chemtrails over the Country Club, Del Rey announced news of another upcoming album. With a few singles to keep fans pleased between the two albums’ releases, including “Wildflower Wildfires,” “Arcadia,” and “Text Book,” Del Rey’s eighth album Blue Banisters dropped on October 22. Consisting of 14 songs and an interlude, Del Rey gives her fans exactly what they’ve been waiting for.

Blue Banisters racked up a large number of streams across all platforms due to its high anticipation as it was delayed from its initial release date of July 2021. This said, however, there was less of a media frenzy for this album as Del Rey is currently taking a social media break.

The album kicks off with the single “Text Book,” one of the songs released before the album. This song tackles her past loves, and her inability to hold onto what she’s had. For example, she sings, “God I wish I was with my father, he could see us in all our splendor.” Del Rey then moves into her title track “Blue Banisters.” Here, she reminisces on past memories, cherishing the happiness she’s felt in her life. Smoothly, she sings, “Other men I met felt right, would smile at you and stick a knife in your back. Finally, I met you so I’m not wondering why.” Like the majority of Del Rey’s music, her songs are on the slow side, emphasizing her vocals over background rhythms and beats. Her lyrics speak to her listeners, connecting to a lot of people with the deepness of the topics she sings about. The mellowness of the songs tie into their meaning, giving them a nice, sentimental feel that is pleasing to listen to.

All the songs are very beautiful sounding, despite some scattered off-beatness of her lyrics to the background instruments. The only negative aspect to this album is the interlude. Only lasting just over a minute, the interlude’s rap-like feel and strong bass and instruments clashes with the rest of the album’s tranquility. It’s out-of-placeness to the album’s feel slightly takes away from the mood of the album, however it does not take away from the beauty of the songs.

The lightness of Del Rey’s voice and the gentleness of the songs themselves creates an overall ethereal sense to the album. Each song flows nicely together, giving the album a smoothness that makes it hard to stop listening to.

Grade: A-