After discovering her iconic album “Born to Die” in middle school, I have been an avid Lana Del Rey fan. Her ninth studio album, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” released on March 24, is her most vulnerable album yet. 

I have been following Del Rey’s work since “Ultraviolence” and “Honeymoon,” released in 2014 and 2015 respectfully. Her older albums focused heavily on presenting herself as a “femme fatale” as she seeks male validation from toxic relationships. However, fans have noticed a gradual shift in maturity in her releases over the past few years. Perhaps it’s perfect timing as her primary audience — teenage girls — is maturing and transitioning into adulthood. This refreshing shift of realism on reflecting over life and finding “true” happiness is especially prominent in her latest release. 

Songs such as “The Grants,” “Sweet” and “Fingertips” are ballads of grief, sadness and acceptance; all of which offer a sense of relatability to the audience. Del Rey delves into personal issues, such as her strained relationship with her mother, issues with finding healthy love and the deaths of her grandmother and uncle. Since the pandemic, Del Rey has been open about finding a safe haven in religion and even includes an interlude of her church’s pastor, Judah Smith, preaching about loss and lust in the song “Judah Smith Interlude.”

I have seen mixed reviews about the album on social media. Some fans claim it is too far from her usual tone of writing, and that Del Rey has lost her “touch” as a musician. I believe “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” is one of her best albums yet. It is a melancholic ode of self-reflection for those who listen to its full length, allowing them to contemplate the meaning of their existence and understand the fact that life is hard.

In the album’s debut single, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” Del Rey repeats the phrase, “Don’t forget me.” After her incredibly interpersonal performance present in her ninth studio album, both her talent and herself, as a person, are far from forgettable.