Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
by Lana Del Rey

This surprised me a lot, after following up her critical breakthrough Norman Fucking Rockwell with a couple of substantially weaker albums I figured that Lana's music had peaked and that the still quite decent standard of Chemtrails and Blue Banisters would be the new normal. I think I was about a couple of tracks into this record when I realised that wasn't the case, Ocean Boulevard isn't just a great piece of work but one that elevates the rest of Lana's discography. The opening run of tracks is just as good as on NFR, the effortless emotional build of The Grants, the full production of the title track and the lyrical directness of the second half of Sweet work incredibly together. They also set the stage for Lana's most contemplative and thoughtful album, breaking into new ground while drawing on the fear of being left in the past. This is most successful on A&W which mirrors the lyrical themes of her earliest records but adds some depth to them with its downbeat frustration as she tries to trace the roots of the unfulfilling and demeaning relationships that she used to only cover at a surface level.

For me Ocean Boulevard matches NFR in its earlier tracks but it's deeper into the tracklist that it starts to pull away from it, it stays compelling to the end. There are some especially strong melodies on tracks like Paris Texas and Candy Necklace and a warmth to others like Let the Light In. Each of the tracks I've highlighted has a really effective feature on it, Lana's sense for collaboration is at its best here, we're a long way from unnecessary rap features being stuffed into dull tracks. Only Bleachers doesn't quite pull his weight vocally, but his involvement in Margaret feels fair considering his personal connection to the track. It sets up a great finale as things come full circle with the looseness of the first few seconds of the album being mirrored by the almost conversational conclusion to Margaret.

Except the album just keeps on going and this is still what really confuses me. Fishtail, Peppers and Taco Truck are all really good but they feel like bonus tracks within the structure of the album. I really enjoy the switch up in sound towards something more hip hop influenced, Peppers especially is one of the catchiest tracks of the past year, it's a shame that it just doesn't fit. I think these songs could have made for a really good EP instead of being grafted onto the end of the record, it's a bit annoying though the fact that it stands out so clearly as an issue shows how well the rest of Ocean Boulevard is structured. (Edited)

It's a shame because there is easily a 50 minute 9/10 album in here. The first 4 tracks, track 6, and tracks 10-15 are utterly incredible, and on par with NFR. The interludes and the piano ballads in the middle of the album grind the momentum to a halt, and while the "Taco Truck" part of the last track is pretty great, the trap remix of Venice Bitch is a pretty weak way to end the album, and just makes me want to listen to the original version instead. What a missed opportunity. (Edited)

I don't agree with the comments about it being too long or the interludes interrupt the flow of the record I think they work perfectly as the songs are so powerful it's almost like you need a break before starting another 3 or 4 tracks , it's a brilliant record and has to be one of the best if not the best of 2023 (Edited)

This record is so long that you barely stay awake till the end.
I hate the Antonoff production, all the songs sound the same, everything is muddy and confused...and boring!
I really can't get all of this hype, i'm sorry. I loved the first album, but now is a big no for me. (Edited)

This record is so long that you barely stay awake till the end.
I hate the Antonoff production, all the songs sound the same, everything is muddy and confused...and boring!
I really can't get all of this hype, i'm sorry. I loved the first album, but now is a big no for me. (Edited)