By Ayah Ibrahim
Staff Writer
For all the indie pop fans out there, the time has come. The “Queen of Indie” — Lana Del Rey — has released a new album and it’s a lot to unpack.
The “Young and Beautiful” star released her second album this year, “Blue Banisters,” on Oct. 22. It is her eighth album following “Chemtrails over the Country Club,” released earlier this year.
Unlike her other albums, “Blue Banisters” provides listeners with a candid look into Del Rey’s life. In this album, Del Rey sings about her family, her sister’s pregnancy, her personal struggles, and her creative process as an artist.
Del Rey is not one to shy away from difficult topics. “Blue Banisters” allows fans to take a deeper look into her life and provides us with refreshing honesty.
In “Textbook,” Del Rey admits that “I didn’t even like myself.” She continues this theme of rawness in “Dealer” when she belts “I don’t want to live.”
Del Rey is not shy of dark themes. In fact, her take on heavy subjects has caught the attention of critics, where some have gone to say that she glorifies domestic abuse.
“The idea violence is tragically beautiful to Del Rey, as seen in her lyrics, adds to a misleading portrayal of domestic abuse situations,” said Jillian Cote from the State Press.
However, in this album, Del Rey strips herself to her bare emotions while risking her mental sanity at the same time.
“Blue Banisters” is Del Rey’s more abstract and obscure album she created, mainly because she puts so much of herself into the album itself. In this album Del Rey moves away from folk, her usual style, and takes on a much darker theme by exposing herself in a way we’ve never seen before.
By baring herself to us, Del Rey’s music became much more relatable. In her new album she sings about her life during quarantine by referring to Zoom and parking lots in Target. Her mixture of simplicity, yet complex themes make this album one of her more perplexing works.
In “Black Bathing Suit”, Del Rey admits her struggle to find herself. She sings about how she feels she is living on borrowed time. Del Rey continues this theme of fatalism when she sings “If this is the end, I want a boyfriend,” narrating the sense of loneliness she feels.
Blue Banisters is an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you in a midlife crisis, questioning your sanity. She has delivered, not once, but twice this year. With her vocals, storytelling and lyrics, this album could arguably be her best to date.
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Cover Art for “Blue Banisters” | Art by Ayah Ibrahim
