Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon

From day one, Lana Del Rey has been dogged with authenticity jibes. It’s taken three albums, but with ‘Honeymoon’, there can be absolutely no questions over the ‘real’ Lana Del Rey. She’s created a world of her own, and on this latest record she sinks deep into its clutches.

‘Honeymoon’ is a romantic obsession drowning in darkness. It’s the equivalent of falling for the alien in Under the Skin, following Scarlett Johansson before being submerged in an inky trap. Spanning over an hour, if the ghost town film soundtrack strings of ‘Honeymoon’ and ‘Terrence Loves You’ don’t leave a trace, the funereal ‘The Blackest Day’ and ‘Swan Song’ do the trick.

Everything is exact, from the Tumblr-ready Lanafied lyrics (“Nothing gold can stay, like love or lemonade or sun or summer days”, “Come to California, be a freak like me, too”) to the last breath gasps of ‘Religion’’s dusky chorus. There’s always been a purpose to each of Lana’s lyrics and affectations, but they’re more distinct than ever here.

If last year’s ‘Ultraviolence’ felt like it shunned the singles-first pop approach, ‘Honeymoon’ takes that mantra and runs into the distance. With the exception of ‘High By The Beach’’s sedated California kick, no song gets to the chorus before the minute mark. This isn’t an album stripped of hooks - far from it - but everything’s approached with a sunken, strung-out quality. It’s Lana’s own style, and in a world where the biggest pop acts construct their own universe, hers could be the most distinct and untouchable.