Music Review: Lana Del Rey, “Lust for Life”

Music Review: Lana Del Rey, “Lust for Life”

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The master of melancholy, Lana Del Rey, is back with “Lust for Life,” her fifth studio album. Since Del Rey exploded onto the music scene in 2011 with her viral music video for “Video Games,” she has captivated our imaginations – an enigma wrapped in the American flag, old Hollywood glamour, and clinical depression. With “Lust for Life,” Del Rey continues her legacy, filled with the cinematic stylization and vintage pop culture allusions her fans have grown to love (and expect) from her music. The album is beautifully composed, lending her luscious, romantic vocals to hip hop beats, protest songs, and youthful anthems alike. Opener and lead single, “Love,” is as dreamy as it is empowering; while “In My Feelings,” is as cool as Del Rey herself. Joining her on the album’s title track is The Weeknd, while on “Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” Del Rey looks at the world from above with Stevie Nicks. Overall, “Lust for Life” is as heartbreaking of an album as it is hopeful – a statement piece for an artist so intricately associated with images of Americana during our current national crisis of identity.