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Lana Del Rey is commonly acclaimed for portraying the feminine experience in her art, with her discography blatantly displaying her journey from her young and wild youth to becoming a mature, small-town girl. While it is entirely raw and beautiful, what happens in the midst of this transition is often overlooked.
Del Rey’s fourth out of nine studio albums, Honeymoon, exceeds the high standards set by Del Rey’s other work to create a dramatic work of art, opening her discography to darker and more intense sounds while still holding on to some “youthful” themes, such as toxic love.
From the beginning, the album’s title track sets the dark and mysterious tone of the album, which is often enhanced by chillingly deep vocals and orchestras.
The romantically eerie tone reigns over the remainder of the album, with cinematically dark tracks like “24” and sweet, softer songs like “Terrence Loves You” and “Swan Song.”
The masterpiece of an album ends with Del Rey’s cover of The Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” taking a melodramatic spin on the classic track.
Honeymoon also seemingly takes inspiration from the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, for which Del Rey did work on the soundtrack. The overall aesthetics of the two works have many similarities, even down to the font on the album cover matching that on Gatsby promotional posters.
Unfortunately, Honeymoon lives in the shadows of some of its sister albums.
The album is often compared to Del Rey’s previous release, Ultraviolence, but surpasses the talent and emotions portrayed on that record.
In all respects, Honeymoon takes musical artistry to new heights that are rarely reached by mainstream albums. The serenity of the orchestral instrumentals and Del Rey’s velvety, deep vocals elevate listeners to an entirely new headspace that requires much more attentive listening than her surrounding works.
