Lana Del Rey reveals authenticity with seventh album

Lana Del Rey released her seventh studio album on March 19, titled “Chemtrails over the Country Club.” This 11-track album is a slight genre switch from her 2019 album, “Norman F***ing Rockwell,” and features a more intimate side of Lana that fans have not seen prior. 

“White Dress” kicks off the delicacy of this album. Lana’s soft voice paired with the soothing piano in the background gives this tune a personal touch, and the lyrics allow listeners to understand how the music industry has affected Lana’s development as an artist.  

She sings, “It made me feel, made me feel like a God / It kinda makes me feel, like maybe I was better off,” in reference to glorification that comes with being a Hollywood sensation, and how she feels that she may have been better off without it. 

The next track is the namesake of the album, and it was released Jan. 11. Lana sings of the dark nature of the American Dream and how elegance can quickly turn into ugliness. Yet it keeps constant with Lana’s favored theme of love when she sings, “Late night TV, I want you on me / Like when we were kids under chemtrails and country clubs / It’s never too late, baby, so don’t give up.“ 

“Wild At Heart” and “Let Me Love You Like A Woman” both show Del Rey as someone frustrated with their current life who must leave the toxicity of Hollywood life and enter into the unknown. This is expressed in the lyrics: “I left Calabasas, escaped all the ashes, ran into the dark,” and, “I’m ready to leave LA and I want you to come / I guess I could manage if you stay.” Del Rey displays independence and growth as a woman in these songs that were not previously received from any other album.  

She often sings about her dependence on relationships and found herself getting involved in shaky romances. The line in “Let Me Love You Like A Woman,” voices her growth and newfound self-awareness. Ironically enough, not only are both songs a signal of her development, but they are also probably the most folk-like on the album.  

The last track on the album is “For Free,” a cover of the 1970s classic by Joni Mitchell. It appropriately follows “Dance till We Die,” in which she mentions Mitchell among several other female icons. Del Rey first performed her cover with artists Zella Day and Weyes Blood. 

“Chemtrails over the Country Club” successfully reinvents Lana Del Rey as an authentic and self-assured woman. She effortlessly captures her relationship with the music industry and her growth as a musician throughout the tracks, and does so in a melodic fashion.