Lana Del Rey - ’Chemtrails Over The Country Club’
We can’t get rid of Lana Del Rey.
During a pretty harsh summer of cancel culture, Lana was called out for eulogizing domestic violence, and then called out again for using Black artists like Cardi B and Beyoncé to defend herself. Also, the whole mesh mask situation ended up being a scene in the “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” music video.
On top of that, many fans don’t like the extreme patriotism she demonstrates.
Through it all, Lana stood her ground and publicly confronted many of the issues that were surfacing. If you want to read up on this, check out our article from Drop 002.
So, whether the mass media canceled her or not, her seventh studio album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club, is here making a bold statement about femininity, love, fame, loneliness, and everything in between.
Her musical talents and lyricism are truly unmatched. Over the years, Lana has dropped projects ranging from indie rock to baroque pop with classical music hints. I think this project easily holds some of her most brilliant work.
The opener “White Dress” is the longest track and sets the tone of the project. Lana reflects on her days as a struggling, lonely waitress dreaming of what the future held. Life was simpler, and she questions if it would have been best to stay that way.
She pretty much says that she was much happier and complacent without fame, which we can assume is largely in part to the summer’s backlash. It’s an intense track that displays her crazy vocal range and a beautiful melody.
The next track, “Chemtrails Over The Country Club,” was released as a single earlier this year. Chemtrails are a conspiracy theory about secretly laced chemicals left behind by planes, in those white streaks that seem like clouds.
Lana told interview magazine that “I hear [the album] Chemtrails and I think “work,” but I also think of my stunning girlfriends, who so much of the album is about, and my beautiful siblings. “Chemtrails” is the title track because it mentions them all and it mentions wanting so much to be normal and realizing that when you have an overactive, eccentric mind, a record like Chemtrails is just what you’re going to get.”
In the music video, Lana is submerged in the country club-like, lavish life but then rejects this and runs wild with wolves.
“Tulsa Jesus Freak” is about the dangerous combination between love, sex, religion, and alcohol. This is one of her only auto-tuned tracks ever and her voice still comes through with a powerful message.
The fourth track “Let Me Love You Like A Woman” was another early release. It is a love song that never got too much hype from listeners. As fans would put it, it sounds like any artist could sing this song and sound good. But there is a wholesome music video worth noting, featuring personal video clips throughout Lana’s life.
On “Wild At Heart” Lana celebrates her free-spiritedness. She left Calabasas and appreciates the freedom with her lover, Clayton Johnson. Moving away from her past life has been the inspo for her most recent albums.
I love this track, it has an older, acoustic sound, but her voice is angelic and she hasn’t lost any of her indie flare.
“Dark But Just A Game” is probably my favorite track on the album. It has a very interesting range of beats and sounds, and she's lyrically the most candid about her current persona. Lana speaks to her haters (and she has many), preaching that she truly loves who she is and isn’t going to change.
“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” is a slow, heavenly song. Lana is doing her own thing, not succumbing to the mainstream culture, but she is at peace with this and doesn’t feel as extinct as society makes her seem.
This song resonates with the insight Lana shared on her Instagram this summer. “So I just want to say, nobody gets to tell your story except for you. Even if that means it’s kind of messy, like this, along the way.”
“Yosemite” is another lengthy track with a slow, acoustic melody. I think that the whole latter half of the album displays her pure artistry unlike any way she has before. “Yosemite” is about the ebb and flow of relationships because people are constantly changing and evolving.
“Breaking up Slowly” is a collab with country singer Nikki Lane… yeah, I don’t like country either but these two sound amazing together. Their voices are raw on one of the many love tracks of the album.
“Dance Til We Die” is a gorgeous contribution to legendary singers and songwriters Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Courtney Love.
The closing track “For Free” features Zella Day and Weyes Blood. It is an indie cover of Joni Mitchell’s 1970 “For Free” on her album Ladies of the Canyon.
Lana, Zella, and Wayes Blood are good friends outside of the music industry and this rendition goes along with Lana’s outlook on continuing her career purely for the joy music brings, not fame.
I think for all the hate Lana gets on social media daily and the amount of times she’s had to publicly apologize or clarify a lyric, action etc., this album has a lot of meaning and is a very authentic project. Lana taps deep into her feels while crafting and singing some of her most heartfelt, genuine lyrics yet.
Right after Lana dropped Chemtrails, she shared an Instagram post already announcing her next project Rock Candy Sweet coming out June 1st.
There is a lot to unpack on this project and I give her a lot of credit for staying true to herself.
