Lana Del Rey had a tough act to follow after the orgasmic reception to Norman Fucking Rockwell and she responded to the challenge by delivering her quietest and most personal record yet. 2021’s Chemtrails Over the Country Club strips away any hints of modern pop present in its predecessor and doubles down on the atmospheric folk.

Some fans decried the continued move away from the trip-hop trappings of her early work, somehow unsatisfied with the bounty of beautiful songs Del Rey was delivering. I’ll take gorgeous acoustic melancholy any day over just about anything else, so this album is right in my sweet spot.

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