The highly anticipated Chemtrails Over the Country Club is here! We’ve been dying to stream the 7th album of Lana Del Rey. Chemtrails Over the Country Club manages to offer a whole new perspective for the singer who successfully reinvented herself once again.
After working on the album for over a year with Jack Antonoff (mainly known for his collaborations with Lorde and Taylor Swift), everything paid off. Chemtrails Over the Country Club has currently got an 85/100 rating on Metascore perhaps being the best follow up or the acclaimed Norman Fucking Rockwell!. Unlike NFR!, which was the singer’s less personal album, Chemtrails allows Del Rey to share intimacy throughout the whole record. This time, she is not just singing about romance, nostalgia and melancholic states of mind or life, she also brilliantly captures the weight of fame, and also female friendships. On the black and white cover, we finally discover – as was the case for Lust for Life – a smiling Lana Del Rey sitting among her friends. Over the country club, they can talk freely about hard times and simply life.
Whether you have listened to the album or plan to, we felt the need to introduce the best lyrics for each song as Chemtrails Over the Country Club, thanks to its powerful songwriting, is not a miss!
Track 1: “White Dress”
“I only mention it cause it was such a scene and I felt seen.”
One of Del Rey’s best openers. She quietly hits high notes over a piano reminiscing on the old days when she “was only 19”. The song is a pure ode to her Lizzy Grant days working as a waitress. It almost feels like Del Rey is singing to her younger self as it is much filled with raw emotional vocals. As the song goes on, we understand the song is also about dealing with the sadness of fame.
Track 2: “Chemtrails over the Country Club”
“It’s beautiful how this deep normality settles down over me, I’m not bored or unhappy, I’m still so strange and wild.”
Serving as the first music video for Chemtrails, the song successfully encapsulates the aesthetic of Del Rey’s new era. The singer pushes forward dreamworlds to inhabit and cover up – as a disguise – the bittersweet substance of life. The chorus softly mingles with the rest of the song creating a perfect ballad for the album.
Track 3: “Tulsa Jesus Freak”
“Trade this body for that can of gin, like a little piece of heaven.”
Contemplating God is a theme that often comes back through the album just like in this song. Under the drums driving, the imagery she uses to convey some of her personal experiences remains powerful. At the end, the song is eventually lifted up with autotune adding an angelic tone of voice to it.
Track 4: “Let Me Love You Like a Woman”
“Let me be who I’m meant to be, talk to me in poems and songs, don’t make me bittersweet.”
In addition to being the first song unveiled for this album, the production of “LMLYLW” is smoothly, especially on its bridge, bringing out calmness and positive feelings to the song.
Track 5: “Wild at Heart”
“The cameras have flashes that cause the car crashes, but I’m not a star.”
(Perhaps) A twisted reference to David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, the song particularly echoes with Del Rey’s previous songs such as “How to Disappear”, “Love Song”, and “The Greatest”. The poetic quality added to each verse of “Wild at Heart” is touching.
Track 6: “Dark But Just a Game”
“The faces aren’t the same, but their stories all end tragically.”
The song may be stuck in your head on you once you listen to it. While “Dark But Just a Game” may remind fans some of Del Rey’s unreleased songs as it is a perfect mixture of nostalgic, gloomy and dark subjects. The trip-hop sultry production mingles along more country-like vocals on the chorus.
Track 7: “Not All Who Wander Are Lost”
“Not all those who wander, all those who wander, all those who wander are lost, it’s just wanderlust.”
There is a slight country touch on this track. It may remind some fans of her Lust for Life era. The stylization of her vocals and the song ends brilliantly with the multitracker guitars.
Track 8: “Yosemite”
“The only thing we’ll turn is the pages of all the poems we burn.”
The lyrics, but also the tone in general, are quite optimistic despite the sound seems to be the most depressing of Chemtrails. This song was supposed to be released in Lust For Life, but being more “happier” than that record as a whole, Del Rey preferred to remove it.
Track 9: “Breaking Up Slowly”
“It’s hard to be lonely, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Nikki Lane perfectly fits on this track, right from the beginning. The great quality of this featuring is that their voices match without overpowering one another. A pretty country-sounding song again.
Track 10: “Dance Till We Die”
“And when all the bars close down tonight, there’s one that stays open just for us, alright.”
Del Rey obviously sings about one of the recurring themes of the album – the weight of fame. It is generally a calm song until the bridge, which highlights the greatness of the song and may be stuck in your head quickly enough.
Track 11: “For Free” (Feat. Zella Day & Weyes Blood)
“I’ll play if you’ve got the money or if you’re a friend to me.”
Their voices together almost make you feel like you have reached heaven. It is perhaps one of the weakest tracks of the album. However, ending the album with this song, which is a Joni Mitchell cover, was a good decision.
Chemtrails is an impressive album as a whole. Lana Del Rey was the best-selling female artist who debuted in the 2010s decade in PURE worldwide album sales, she is definitely coming for this new decade – especially when you know she announced that her new upcoming album will be released in June 2021. All in all, you definitely should give Chemtrails a shot.
