Follow me through the tunnel under

Ocean Blvd

Lillian Doiron-Wahlstrom, Reporter

“Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” is the ninth studio album by musical mogul Lana Del Rey. This album boasts an impressive sixteen tracks with vast variety including features by Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Tommy Genesis, and many others.

This album is an almost religious experience which delves into the deepest parts of Del Rey’s psyche. Though Del Rey is no stranger to exploring the soul in her writing, “Ocean Blvd” seems to venture where no album of hers has before. These sixteen tracks are a deeply personal exposé into Del Rey’s love, family, and trauma; it is a glimpse into her complex world. Through these discussions, “Ocean Blvd” often blurs the line between relatable and verges on self-interested at times.

Del Rey’s newest album is an impassioned journey into every aspect of life which then turns into the exploration of death and all it entails. The songs seem to meld together and turn into one, similar to the phases of life this album depicts to the point you may even start to not know which song is which.
This album is steeped in religious significance. In the first song, “The Grants,” it opens with a gospel choir and soon descends into fervent sermons as we explore Del Rey’s inner world. Ocean Blvd seems to view music as a way to get closer to oneself and to God. This spiritual journey makes for a listening experience you won’t soon forget.

My biggest criticism is that all the songs in this album phase in a way where all the songs start to sound the same. This lack of stylistic diversity—though serving a purpose—also makes it hard to pick out any songs that really stand out because none of them actually seem to. In order to prevent this, Del Rey put in two interludes, but these songs honestly struggle to further the complex story of this album. While these aspects of the album don’t feel out of place, “Judah Smith Interlude” is an almost five minute long sermon which feels more like the beginning to a song instead of doing its job to break up the monotony of the album.

“Ocean Blvd” is just simply something that was difficult to bond with and after such earnest excitement for her next release, this album was a bit of a disappointment. There isn’t much to say about the album and it hurts to admit because I genuinely wanted to cherish this album as I have with Del Rey’s other works. “Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” was a highly anticipated release that fell short despite how incredible it should’ve been. The album itself is irrefutably gorgeous with sprawling melodies and euphoric vocals, but the connection just wasn’t there. “Ocean Blvd” felt like a therapy session put to music and though an impressive addition to her discography, it just wasn’t for me.

Rating: 6.5/10