Album Review: Lana Del Rey Contemplates Stardom with Nostalgic Ambience on ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’
The increasingly controversial pop musician tackles an array of pressing topics through a nostalgic and cinematic lens.
Written by Katie Karp
Photo courtesy of Lana Del Rey on YouTube
No longer is Lana Del Rey reminiscing on her days in love and intoxicated on Venice Beach (Norman Fucking Rockwell). Nor is she describing the harmonic, peaceful land of the rose-tinted 1960s (Lust for Life). Through the 11 songs on her newest album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, the songstress, using the imaginative lyricism that suffused her previous LPs, welcomes her listeners into the simplistic glamour of a smalltown in the pre-pandemic United States.
The highly-anticipated release of Chemtrails comes after a long year in the limelight for the self-described ‘Gangster Nancy Sinatra’— whether the attention was for better or worse. In May 2020, Lana published a letter expressing frustration toward those who frequently have misunderstood her as anti-feminist and shallow. The letter, posted on her social media platforms, was met with public disapproval as she unnecessarily called out popular female musicians of color in an attempt to champion her argument. Whether it be her inessential explanation about the racial diversity of the women present in the Chemtrails album cover, or an attempt at making sense of the Jan. 6 Capital riots, it is undeniable that Lana's social media presence is controversial, nevermind offensive at times. However, despite the public picking apart her consistent use of her platforms to make robust, superficial comments, Lana has continually justified her statements, and it seems like she always will.
From the first track of Chemtrails, Lana's nostalgia for a simpler time is blatantly apparent. In "White Dress," she reminisces on days spent waitressing before her music video for "Video Games" went viral on YouTube in 2012 and skyrocketed her to stardom. As she looks back, Lana clarifies the sense of control she felt at the time over both herself and the ‘Men in Music Business Conference.’ With lines like, "Listеning to White Stripes when thеy were white-hot" and "I wasn't famous, just listening to Kings of Leon to the beat," Lana recounts what her relationship with music was like in the early 2000s, before becoming a well-known name in the industry. The singer’s experiences as a young waitress before becoming a famous musician and controversial public figure is in many ways synonymous with the longing her listeners feel for a pre-pandemic life.
The soft, unsteady drumbeat under Lana’s whispers that conclude "White Dress" are met with a serene melody in the following track, "Chemtrails Over the Country Club." Extended outros and echoey vocals featured on Chemtrails' songs mirror the tranquil, dreamy-pop sounds also embedded in Norman Fucking Rockwell. In the titular track, Lana contrasts the serenity and glamour of country clubs with chemtrails, referring to the conspiracy theory “that governments or other parties are engaged in a secret program to add toxic chemicals to the atmosphere from aircraft in a way that forms visible plumes in the sky." Throughout the song, she refers to complex spiritual concepts like "contemplating God" and rhetorically asking, “Baby, what’s your sign?” before proclaiming, “My moon’s in Leo / my Cancer is sun.”
The folkloric, yet melodramatic nature of "Tulsa Jesus Freak" is in many ways reflective of the album as a whole. Over the soft drumbeat and guitar strums, the storyteller sings her narrative lyrics and whispers autotuned echoes. The following track further exemplifies Lana's tribute to folk and country music while also sticking to the serene piano sounds familiar to her previous music. The classic grandeur and romantic lyrics that fill many of Lana's earlier songs are apparent in "Let Me Love You Like A Woman." However, she strays from setting her love story in idyllic locations like the Hamptons, Hollywood, or New York City, instead opting for a generic "small town" setting that resonates more with her listeners and the themes of the album.
Image courtesy of Interscope Records
The melody of "Wild at Heart" samples her NFR ballads "Love Song" and "How to disappear." From mentioning "coffee pots and Insta thots" to using the 1990 Nicolas Cage cult-classic movie as the song title, the fifth track is filled with pop-culture references to develop a sort of cinematic love story and allow for a better connection with listeners. Lana's reference to the death of Princess Diana ("The cameras have flashes, they cause the car crashes / But I'm not a star") also helps support the thematics of stardom that segue into the following track. In "Dark But Just A Game," Lana explains how she refuses to lose herself and her genuine voice to maintain her status as a celebrity, looking at her complex relationship with the media and publicity as something dark, but playful. It seems as though Lana’s minimization of her platform is her attempt to justify her ignorant public statements in the past.
From the acoustic folklore in "Not All Who Wander Are Lost," and the exploration of love in the more organic "Yosemite," to the country-rooted breakup in "Breaking Up Slowly," and the rock-ballad redemption in "Dance Till We Die," a wide array of sounds are ever-present throughout Chemtrails. Rounding out her tracklist is a collaboration with popular singer-songwriters Zella Day and Weyes Blood, who join Lana in covering Joni Mitchell's 1970 folk song, "For Free." Lana and her fellow contemporary female musicians pay tribute to Mitchell in a tune about the wonders of a street musician who plays for free, while they play for money.
While the album has mixed reviews among listeners, and many of Lana’s early fans long for the younger, heartbroken crooner from Born to Die or Ultraviolence,Chemtrails Over the Country Club makes sense of Lana Del Rey's complex relationship with stardom and her past life. The project pushes listeners to think about celebrity culture while also offering her fans fresh, romantic, self-exploratory songs in the signature style that they know and love dearly.