New from Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon

It's hard to believe that Lana Del Rey is prepping her fourth record in as many years. But here we are, four short years after Video Games, listening to Honeymoon, a prelude to the album of the same name.

Detractors will say that the high turnover leaves no room for reinvention and, true enough, the song touches on all the familiar Del Rey tropes. But this noir melodrama, with its tale of tortured romance, is more innovative than it seems. The orchestral overture and meandering structure are ambitious and nuanced; and the song challenges you to swim into deeper waters before drawing you under with its melodic undercurrents.

Drown in its pleasures below.

Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon

The song was co-written by Rick Nowels, who's been collaborating with Del Rey since her debut. The award-winning writer/producer sought her out after hearing early demos on YouTube and speaks very highly of her to this day.

"She is a one of a kind artist and keeps growing," he told Idolator last month. "She's such a natural writer and singer and has a real vision for who she is and what she wants to put out into the world. I think she will be a future legend."

If you're not the sort of person who reads liner notes (and how could you be in the iTunes era?) you might not know that Nowels has been the catalyst for some of the best female pop of the last three decades. I've put together a short playlist of his best bits below.

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