Lana Del Rey’s first full song from ‘Honeymoon’ is here and we’re feeling it, big time
Lana Del Rey is a creature of evolution — an enigma, a pseudonym, the Coney Island ingenue who went West on the back of a motorcycle and ended up in even more trouble. Born to Die was the world through rose-tinted glasses; Ultraviolence, wherein she insisted things were still OK; and now Honeymoon, whose titular song just dropped today.
“Honeymoon” is the next step of the singer’s persona evolution. The melodramatic strings bring back “Young & Beautiful” baroque vibes, while Del Rey’s familiar vocal quaver sounds sucked dry of any playful light. This is the morning after all the fun and games of her previous albums, a woman coming to the realization that things might be neither as glamorous nor as tragic as she seeks to see them. From Born to Die to “Mr. Born to Love” — and now, the most morose honeymoon anthem of all time.
“We both know it’s not fashionable to love me”: The opening lyrics could almost work as a commentary on her fanbase, who have been criticized and ridiculed by other genres’ fans since Del Rey’s pop ascendence. Not that it matters, and by the closing drones of “Dreaming away your life,” we’re all under her spell again.
The notoriously reserved Del Rey took to Honeymoon’s dedicated Instagram account to share what the song means to her:
“Here it is, the first and title track off my record – Honeymoon. In some ways I feel it’s where the record begins and ends… there are so many other tracks on the record, 13 others to be exact- Some with a muddy trap energy and some inspired by late-night Miles Davis drives… But I love this song because it encapsulates all of the things that come naturally to me.”
Listen to the song below; for visuals, the lyrics sheet she previewed on Instagram is bookended by the amateur footage aesthetic that got her notice in the first place. Maybe get some tissues ready.
(Image via Instagram)
