Sometimes, there are albums that aren’t made for fans, instead, they are made with a personal connection to the artist. There are albums that aren’t meant for sales, but solely for the purpose of connecting people with the music. Chemtrails Over The Country Club is one of these albums. Whispers under a melancholy piano sound are what Lana Del Rey chose to kick-start her seventh studio album with. This is a new stance compared to her other albums, in which she would have probably opened with a grand violin screaming into a symphony, then later transitioned into an alternative pop song.

White dress. The first song on this album describes Lana’s life before the fame. She was a waitress, only nineteen, making a living off of tips and having a much simpler time then. She recalls, “I felt free ’cause I was only nineteen.” This one song sets the tone for the whole album, which is why in my personal opinion, it was the best choice for the first song. The album has a plan to tell a story, White Dress is essentially the beginning that needs to be told. 

And with this, it transitions off to the titled song Chemtrails Over The Country Club, which keeps up with the hardening theme of nostalgia, except this time, it’s about a lover she had lost. One thing Lana is known for is her heart-breaking stories told through lyrics and metaphors. Through this song, she repeatedly mentions, ‘My moon’s in Leo, my Cancer is sun” reflecting on her birth chart, which could resemble her wild habits when it comes to passion and love.

The rest of the album mostly comprises nostalgia, stories, and Lana’s pleas to rekindle into the good times when she was more free. The transitions are so beautiful, but sound the same, that if you really aren’t paying attention- you wouldn’t know when the song changed. However, there was one song that truly stood out to me. Dark But Just A Game. A song about what Lana gave up for the price of fame; however, she refuses to give up her essence and the style she’s presented from the very beginning of her career. And for the first time throughout the whole album, she says her first curse word. In the line “I was a pretty little thing and God, I loved to sing. But nothing came from either one but pain (But f**k it)” Which may not sound essential, but to the contrary, it is a buildup to her control. This line shows the controls she puts throughout her music, her lyrics, and her emotions. That lyric didn’t need to be there, however, it was placed for a reason- for a stand. 

As a Lana Del Rey fan, I was curious to see what she had to release after her last album Norman F*cking Rockwell, however, as someone who has been listening to her albums for years- it’s hard to see the progress she’s made throughout her music. This album isn’t her best, but personally, I don’t think it was meant to be. I genuinely think the release of this album was more for Lana rather than the general public. If you like to listen to stories about rugged nostalgic artists who got tired of the fame, this album is for you.