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Review: Lana Del Rey is back with a title that promises to intrigue, 'Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?"' If her previous works are any indication, we can expect a hauntingly nostalgic exploration of life in California, where the artist grew up. With her velvety voice and dejectedly poetic lyrics, Del Rey has made a name for herself as a modern-day bard of the West Coast. This release is sure to add another chapter to her musical saga, charting three new songs and one remix, and collaborations across the pop spectrum including Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis and Jon Batiste.

Review: Lana Del Ray's reputation as one of the best songwriters of her generation is already assured. Rather than rest on this laurels, though, she comes through with another mesmerically original work that takes the form of a collection of verse. Written with all the lyricism and eloquence you would expect of the American, Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass is an at times vulnerable, at others intense, but always eclectic and honest, window into the artist's endless talents. There is also a hardback book version of these poems but when paired with raw and real acoustic guitar, they cannot bettered.

Review: Over the course of her last few albums, Lana Del Ray has evolved into a significant chronicler of 21st century American life, with sharper-then-ever lyrics accompanied by fittingly haunting, downbeat and bittersweet musical arrangements. Blue Bannisters, which like so many albums released this year was written and recorded during lockdown, continues in a similar vein to its predecessors, with Del Ray's fragile, melancholic vocals being accompanied by ghostly synthesizer chords, striking piano motifs, drowsy aural textures, simmering strings, gentle guitars and occasional rhythmic nods to trip-hop. It's more bittersweet than intense, but undeniably a creative response to the most testing of times. Considered in those terms, it's a hugely impactful and entertaining album.

Review: American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey does what she wants. Each new album is something of a curveball even for the hardcore fan - and that's the sign of a truly great artist. She's done pop, folk, spoken word poetry and plenty more in her already rich but comparatively short career. This time out on Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, her ninth full length, the six-time Grammy nominated artist again sets her own narrative. In the past, she has brought melancholy, baroque pop, sad core and more to the fore and always with real songcraft.