I certainly did not know that there was a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, however, in a couple weeks before the official announcement with the lead single on December 7th, I saw rumors about a song of the same title and that it would be the title track (we of course know now that those rumors were true). 

This was my first Lana Del Rey album release as a Lana fan ever since I officially began to make my way through her discography on December 16th of 2021, and actually my first album release ever as a fan of someone, so this was something I paid much attention to. 

When it comes to the title track, I first went “Oh great, another ballad”, however, the production with its many layers and the vocal buildup with the choir at the end of the song kept it from being a disappointment, and I actually would say I quite liked it.

The third single of the album, released on March 14th, was the opening track of the album, titled The Grants, referring to Lana’s family name (her real name is Elizabeth Grant), and the song details how she will bring the memory of her family and things like her “grandmother’s last smile” and the memory of “her sister’s first child” with her when she dies. Though the song is sweet in sentiment and the buildup gives some goosebumps, it’s just not single material and was a bit of a disappointment. 

The 3rd track of the album, Sweet, was another ballad that I didn’t warm up to on first listen and haven’t really warmed to now. It’s another ballad and with the 2nd verse sounding like a bridge (vocally), the 3 minute 35 second song is honestly quite “whatever”. 

Track 5 was an interlude with Lana’s priest, Judah Smith, titled Judah Smith Interlude, and despite people talking about how they were going to skip it before the album came out (because he’s, of course, homophobic), the interlude was actually quite unique and offered a very jarring (“jarring” in a good way) contrast to the previous song, A&W (meaning “American Whore”). Though it’s just a snippet of his sermon and isn’t something I’ve gone back to. 

Track 7, coming after Candy Necklace, is another interlude with Jon Batiste, titled Jon Batiste Interlude, which offers a very intriguing and specific vibe that many listeners just don’t seem to understand (or really seem like they want to understand and just throw it to the side). Solid track, surprisingly. 

Track 8 is titled Kinstugi, referring to the Japanese art of patching pottery, and….. let’s just say that if you run out of melatonin pills, this 6 minute snooze-fest of filler will put you right to sleep. Easily my least favorite on the album. 

Track 9 is my 2nd least favorite on the album, titled Fingertips. Though it is a bit of a snoozefest, at least unlike Kintsugi, it’s interesting melodically as there is no chorus, rather, just verses. 

Track 10, Paris, Texas, features a very depressing (in a good way) piano cover by the featured artist SYML. This came to be my 5th favorite, however, as we get to the end, it’s apparent that this doesn’t mean a whole bunch because even though the song is good, it’s memorable, and it conveys a feeling of isolation, it isn’t anything too out there or exciting.

Track 11, titled Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing (yes, that’s the title), is another piano cover, this time by a french pianist known as RIOPY, has a bit of a build up, however, has the same issue as Sweet where the 2nd verse sounds like a bridge and consequently makes the song sound short. 

Track 12, Let the Light In, brings new blipping sort-of sounds that I can’t really describe. Though fairly interesting, it’s not mind-blowing or my favorite by any means, but it does give the album some forward motion sonically.

Track 13, Margaret, featuring Bleachers, aka, Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift’s main producer), is an overhated and melodically beautiful song detailing Antonoff’s engagement with his fiancee. I don’t listen to it much, but it does not get its flowers. 

Track 15, Peppers featuring Tommy Genesis, is a bit of a disappointment as the meat of the song is just a snippet of Tommy’s own song Angelina (and when I mean a snippet, I mean taken straight from it). Sonically, it’s a bop, but the sample being so blatant takes out some of the enjoyment. 

Track 16, Taco Truck x VB, features the original version of Lana’s Venice B*tch off of her NFR record, however, the Taco Truck section of the song isn’t even 2 minutes long, making the song feel too short to be a full cohesive song despite being almost 6 minutes long. 

Overall, …Ocean Blvd is a “good” album, but it’s just that. If you want to get into Lana, I wouldn’t suggest starting here. 

I’d give the album, overall, a 7.5/10. 

My ranking of each track would be this:

Best (/10)

Candy Necklace (9)

A&W (8.75)

Fishtail (8.5)

…Ocean Blvd (8.5)

Paris, Texas (8)

The Grants (7.75)

 

Mid

Margaret (7.5)

Peppers (7.25)

Let the Light In (7.25)

Jon Batiste Interlude (7.25)

Taco Truc x VB (7)

Grandfather… (7)

Sweet (6.75)

 

Worst

Judah Smith Interlude (6.25)

Tanker-tips (6.25)

Kinstu-zzz… (5.75)