3) Ultraviolence Contains The Best Alternative Summer Jam In Years
Earlier songs by Del Rey such as National Anthem and Summertime Sadness contained huge pop hooks, but by eschewing the hip-hop beats, the singer appears to have also stopped searching for commercial hits. However, that doesn’t mean that Ultraviolence is a difficult album to listen to by any means. While tracks like Iggy Azalea’s Fancy and Ariana Grande’s Problem dominated the airwaves this summer, music fans looking for an alternative summer jam needed to look no further than Del Rey’s lead single for Ultraviolence.
The evolution of Del Rey’s music can be heard most clearly on the track West Coast, which sounds like nothing the singer has ever recorded before. While the song retains Del Rey’s signature airy vocals and vulnerable delivery, the groove of the production gives the track a sultry sway reminiscent of Stevie Nicks in her heyday.
West Coast may not be instantly catchy, but the hypnotic production and haunting refrain looped at the end of the track take hold of the listener without you even realizing it, until you find yourself returning to the song over and over again. Del Rey is determined to follow her own path and this refusal to commercialize her music has made Ultraviolence her most powerful work to date.
