“Chemtrails Over the Country Club” Album Review

By Colin Udall

“Chemtrails Over The Country Club” is the most recent full-length album by artist Lana Del Rey. Known for her melancholy artistry and angelic voice, Del Rey has delivered exactly what her fans are looking for on every project she has created. This most recent album doesn’t miss any of those beats. 

“Chemtrails” inarguably offers everything that fans of Del Rey are looking for, but to what extent does this album deliver? Greatly, but not completely. Unfortunately for Del Rey, she is riding off of the success of her most powerful and critically acclaimed album yet, “Norman _ Rockwell.” This is instrumentally important in understanding “Chemtrails Over The Country Club,” as it is as comparative as it is contrastive. Both are deeply introspective and personal, and Lana delivers vocal brilliance in both albums, yet one listen to “Chemtrails”  and you’ll notice how much more modest it is. 

Photo of Lana Del Ray Via Pitchfork

The track “Dark But Just A Game”  is the perfect subject from “Chemtrails” to be tried against “Norman _ Rockwell” and Del Rey’s other works. The track is meek, and a bit on the darker side as the title implies. The track “California” from “Norman _ Rockwell,”  comparatively sounds large and grand, with a great vocal build up throughout the song. 

Comparing “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” doesn’t necessarily make the album any worse as a stand alone project, and it arguably helps in better understanding its place in Del Rey’s discography and why it's good. While “Chemtrails” will never reach the heights of “Norman _ Rockwell,” it isn’t really trying to. Lana Del Rey is understandably more mellow than she was in 2019 and that is reflected in her music. It plays on her music’s calm points, mostly scrapping grandiose builds for gentle melody to carry on. Executed perfectly, “Chemtrails” is one of Del Ray’s greatest works, unfortunately preceded by her best.