Lana Del Rey­ ­ - Ultraviolence

It’s a well-known scientific fact that Lana Del Rey’s voice will melt any bars of chocolate within a 1478 mile radius. Her vocals never fail to make anyone – from self-proclaimed tough guys to inanimate objects – swoon, go weak at the knees or keel over and slam face-first into their #TrueLanatic tank-top collection. This is just as true with the tracks released from her upcoming second album; but also, they’ve been injected with something more. They’re more enigmatic, cinematic and dramatic; oozing with lush orchestral backdrops and golden-gated bridges.

But, more importantly, they seem to be exploring a paradox of the beautiful and the venomous, or the light and the dark. ‘Shades of Cool’, for example, has a saccharine chorus that artistically clashes with the unsettling and chromatic Bond-theme verses. Or ‘West Coast’, with its brooding funk-guitar verse, before slowing-down for the most delicate, airy chorus. This Deadly Nightshade dichotomy – aesthetically beautiful, yet concealing an injection of venom – is continued on ‘Ultraviolence’. Its instrumentation floats and glides, with lush reverb and foamy guitars, yet the subject matter is dark and ominous - its title is lifted from a brutal piece of ‘nadsat’ slang in Anthony Burgess’ Clockwork Orange. This juxtaposition that now envelopes her sound has managed to do the seemingly impossible; it’s given the songs a more profound depth. Hopefully it’ll also make-up for the gooey Dairy Milk carcasses strewn all over the floor. ­