ALBUM REVIEW: Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd - Lana Del Rey starring as Elizabeth Grant

For the past few weeks, my college dorm room has been a megachurch. And I have Lana Del Rey to thank for that. There is absolutely no false advertising on “Judah Smith Interlude,” track five on Lana Del Rey’s 2023 release Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. Four and a half minutes on Ocean Blvd consists of a sermon delivered by Hollywood megachurch pastor Judah Smith. Accompanied only by airy piano notes from producer Jack Antonoff, the track was recorded on Del Rey’s iPhone during a service at Churchome in Beverly Hills. Though Ocean Blvd. is Del Rey’s first LP to feature the words of a pastor, the singer-songwriter preaches messages of growth and authenticity on her ninth studio album.

Gone are the days of the cherry coke slurping, pigtail wearing, Born to Die persona Del Rey crafted in the early 2010s. Ocean Blvd solidifies a departure from Del Rey’s carefully crafted and highly commodified emergence; Elizabeth Grant sings on this album. “The Grants,” Ocean Blvd’s opening track, pays tribute to Del Rey’s family, with the singer meditating on the way she plans to take her “grandmother’s last smile” with her to the afterlife. Ditching radio friendliness for self-reflection, Del Rey’s most recent release showcases the singer-songwriter’s unparalleled introspective abilities. 

Interestingly, Del Rey’s introspection on Ocean Blvd shines while simultaneously paying homage to her musical roots. Brutal candor meets experimental production during “A&W,” Ocean Blvd’s fourth track and second single. The Elliott Smithesque acoustic guitar on the track’s first half sets a somber tone as the artist calls upon listeners to “Look at [her] hair, the length of it and the shape of [her] body,” while the song’s second half gives a nod to Del Rey’s alt-pop beginnings. 

For a record containing myriad references to 21st century zeitgeist, most notably the line “Pass me my vape I’m feeling sick, I need to take a puff” on track sixteen ‘Taco Truck x VB,’ Del Rey’s lyricism in Ocean Blvd is nothing but timeless. Sampling the song “Venice B*tch” off her highly acclaimed 2019 album Norman F*cking Rockwell, Del Rey shines as someone who knows herself better than anyone else. 
 
- Audrey Serrano

RIYL: Faye Webster, Mazzy Star, Adrianne Lenker
Recommended Tracks: Let The Light In, Fishtail
FCC Explicit: 2, 3, 4, 9, 15, 16