Brow Beat

Lana Del Rey Returns with the Hypnotizing “West Coast”

Lana Del Rey makes a grand return with “West Coast.”

Photo by Katie Stratton/Getty Images for Coachella

After months of baiting fans with previously unreleased material and soundtrack singles, Lana Del Rey returns today with the official first single from her forthcoming album Ultraviolence, the simmering “West Coast.” Its release comes a day after she debuted the song live during her Coachella set on Sunday. Produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who worked with Del Rey on the album, “West Coast” infuses the singer’s tantalizing, glossy sound with a rock edge not unfamiliar from the Keys’ own work.

With a woozy “ooh, baby, ooh” perhaps inspired by Stevie Nicks, Del Rey gushes about a lover who has bewitched her, crooning over early-’70s-style guitar lines and sharp switches in tempo. An official release date for Ultraviolence has yet to be announced, but Del Rey has hinted that it could arrive May 1.