THE LATEST (9/12)
Lana Del Rey fans, the record is here! Stream all of Honeymoon via Spotify below then keep the LDR love going with...
THE BUILD UP
Lana Del Rey fans have more or less come to expect a new album from the singer every year now with a new full-length or EP coming every couple months since 2012's Born to Die. In December 2014, Lana sat down for an interview with Galore magazine with her sister for a heart-to-heart about living in New York together, controversial song lyrics and finding artistic inspiration. The singer then dropped info that was she was in the studio, crafting the follow-up to 2014's Ultraviolence, her first No. 1 album.
Lana gave a few signs of where the LP was headed, giving insight to her artistic inspirations by saying that she only listens to jazz on the radio. She named Lil Kim as the person she "most relates to in terms of [her] carer right now." Meanwhile, she picked Cat Power and folk-rock singer/songwriter Father John Misty as the musicians she feels "a psychic and psychological connection to." Plus, when asked "Who do you fuck with in the music business?" Lana chose Azealia Banks "because I have the same artistic inclinations as her and the same taste in men."
Then in a January 2015 interview with Billboard, LDR revealed the album's title and how she came up with the concept:
"It's very different from the last one and similar to the first two, Born to Die and Paradise," she says of Honeymoon. I finished [Ultraviolence] in March and released it in June and I had a follow-up idea. It's growing into something I really like. I'm kind of enjoying sinking into this more noirish feel for this one. It's been good."
COLLABORATORS
Rick Nowels: The GRAMMY-winning producer helmed past LDR singles like "West Coast" and "Young & Beautiful."
Dan Heath: Heath has worked on tracks like "Summertime Sadness," "Ride" and "Fucked My Way Up to the Top." Lana told Galore magazine that he and Rick Nowels are "two of my dearest friends and producers and we are always up to something."
Mark Ronson: Mr. "Uptown Funk" himself has hit the studio with Lana Del Rey. He revealed the news while chatting with Interview Magazine. "I'm going to do some recording with Lana Del Rey today and tomorrow," he said. "She has some songs and I said I had some demo ideas, and if they are any good, then maybe she'll like them and we'll go from there."
THE MUSIC
On July 14, Lana revealed the album's title track, which was the first taste of her new music. It's classic LDR, romantic, morose and slow. Near the end, her vocals unravel into simple hums and a delicate repetition of "dreaming away your life."
"High by the Beach"
Premiered on Apple Music's Beats 1 on August 10, "High by the Beach" opens with Lana dreamily cooing over what sounds like a waves lapping on a beach shore. But soon the chorus hits and an aggressive, trap-influenced production hits where our diva sings, "The truth is I never bought into your bullshit / When you would pay tribute to me, 'cause I know that / All I want to do is get high by the beach / Get high baby baby, bye bye." Its badass music video came three days later.
it's a classic ballad where Lana romantically hums about loving music despite losing a lover—presumably a musician and presumably named Terrence—but there's no mention of a name here. It's her most effortless vocal performance to date.
The third taste of Honeymoon came on August 21 alongside the pre-order for the album.
Lana went to BBC Radio 1 to premiere "Salvatore" on September 15. Most notably, Lana sings in Italian on the chorus, bouncing through every syllable and rolling every "R" with ease. Listen here.
On September 9, Lana Del Rey previewed two new songs in a way only Lana Del Rey knows how. The starlet dropped a video called "Honeymoon Sampler" which unveiled snippets of two previously unheard songs alongside hippie-esque mini-films. Take a listen to "Music to Watch Boys To" and "Freak" with '50s- and '60s-inspired video clips.
Lana also revealed on Instagram that Honeymoon will include 14 tracks with a wide range of influences from "muddy trap energy" to songs "inspired by late-night Miles Davis drives." Translation: Lana will probably continue mixing hip hop beats with old-school soul sounds.
The singer vaguely added that "Honeymoon" is the song that showcases "where the record begins and ends" so perhaps there will be some experimenting on the LP while still spotlighting LDR's signature haunting sound as the new track does so well.
Meanwhile, there is a rumor that Lana had recorded a cover of Nina Simone's 1964 single "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which was further fueled when the final track on the LP's tracklist had the same name.
TRACKLIST
1. "Honeymoon"
2. "Music to Watch Boys To"
3. "Terrence Loves You"
4. "God Knows I Tried"
5. "High by the Beach"
6. "Freak"
7. "Art Deco"
8. "Burnt Norton" (Interlude)
9. "Religion"
10. "Salvatore"
11. "The Blackest Day"
12. "24"
13. "Swan Song"
14. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
RELEASE DATE
Lana said Honeymoon would be out in September during a concert in Washington state. The album went for pre-order on August 21, revealing a September 18 release date.
