To call indie pop princess Lana Del Rey anything less of a powerhouse would be a gross understatement. And with her latest and highly anticipated album Norman F****** Rockwell!, it’s indicative that she’s exactly that.

The title Norman F****** Rockwell! (abbreviated to NFR!) , is based on the author from the 1900’s who is most known for his commentary on American culture and the normalcy of American life. American life and the stereotypes attached to it are important to Del Rey’s lyricism. The album contains tracks such as “California” and “The Next Best American Record,” and she constantly references Venice Beach and Long Beach, as well as a plethora of American cities with a sense of love and longing. Combining the eerie nostalgic feeling NFR! brings with her American symbolism is unique and something that can only be found with Lana Del Rey.

That’s the beauty of Lana Del Rey, and this album in particular. Every song has a sweet combination of gloom and glory. There is never one or the other, which makes the messages hit home much more effectively. Her music feels real because life, in most instances, isn’t gloomy or glory, it’s a mix of both.

Lana has an exquisite way of crooning about pain and the complications of life while making it sound like liquid gold. Her soft spoken and melodic vocals help aid that feeling. The piano ballads and airy instrumentals that compliment her voice cement her messages.

She closes off the album with the track, “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it,” a song that perfectly sums up the entire album. It’s a sign off to the pain and love that she sings about throughout NFR, as she passionately sings, “Don’t ask if I’m happy, you know that I’m not, but at best I can say I’m not sad.”