Lana Del Rey came onto the scene back in 2011 with her debut video for her single “Video Games”. With her alluring, sultry vocals and “hollywood sadcore” aesthetic, she became an irresistible artist and a force to be reckoned with in the indie world.

Now, Del Rey is back and more captivating than ever with her fourth studio album titled Honeymoon. The record is inspired by jazz elements with pop-punk undertones. “We both know that it’s not fashionable to love me, but you don’t go because truly, there’s nobody for you but me”, Del Rey moans in her opening title track. Lana sings about a brief but sweet relationship and repeatedly chants the word “honeymoon” seductively over a symphony of strings.

This ballad is one of the strongest on the album, showcasing Lana’s unique vocals and dreamy way of singing, and also sets the stage for the album’s second track, “Music to Watch Boys To”, which is similar in style.

The album’s standout track, “Terrence Loves You”, is one of Del Rey’s best to date. She gracefully sings over a hypnotic piano and saxophone backup about a past lover. She defined herself as this man’s girlfriend, so when their fling ended, she felt confused as to who she was.

In comparison to Lana’s other albums, this one relies on more jazz and orchestral tones, whereas her first album Born To Die contained hip-hop samples and her third album Ultraviolence was influenced by rock.

Honeymoon also contains common themes from Del Rey such as hollywood glamour, lost lovers and Lolita-esque romances. However, it lacks some of the content Lana has been criticised by the media for, such as “glorifying domestic violence” and “unhealthy habits”, much to the pleasure of parents of Lana’s younger fanbase.

The album closes with a beautifully spooky cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. While the song has a nice meaning, I believe Honeymoon could’ve been closed with one of it’s stronger songs, such as track four, “God Knows I Tried”.

Overall, this album shows Lana evolving from her past. Every moan, every croon, every drawn out note is essential to the album as a whole. Every song demands the attention of the listener. While some criticize it as being “sleepy”, it is hypnotically so. That is the appeal to Lana Del Rey. That is the appeal to Honeymoon.