A YouTuber’s dramatic glamorisation of Lana Del Ray as "Hollywood Sadcore" seems somewhat apt for her new single "West Coast". The East Coast singer-songwriter has put a distance between herself and her
female peers by creating sophisticated and minimalistic pop. But it’s her character and style which has catapulted her to stardom. Ultraviolence has been said to be more cinematic, as expressed in Lana’s short film Tropico with songs “Bel Air” and “Gods & Monsters”. With Tropico, it was clear for all to see that Lana wants to pull the pop from her under her feet.
“West Coast” doesn’t quite align Lana with soul, or hip-hop as others would
suggest, but it does pump Lana and her co-writer here (Rick Nowels) to a
lyrical quality not often found in popular music. She references the West Coast’s music and film industry, relating it to her own story and life. The instrumental is one of the best yet, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. Tempo
changes are unusual to come by in the pop world today, and “West Coast”
has an imaginative shift egged on with the electric guitar
accompaniment. “West Coast” actually comes across as Lana’s best song to date, lyrically and musically. The
temp shift is effective, and creates a breeze of fresh air with the
chorus, making the following verses worth the wait, rather than an
expected arrival. Ultraviolence’s
promise of a darker feel so far seems true, with culture influences
expected to take over Lana’s music – note the West Coast hip-hop
synthesizer in the outro.... (and the coy nod to The Doors' "Light My Fire".)
~Eddie Gibson
Originally posted by Eddie on The Naional Student here.
