What’s been released from Lana Del Rey’s forthcoming album, Ultraviolence, hasn’t been disappointing: “West Coast” was a hypnotizing ode to a California lover, and very much of a piece with Del Rey’s sultry back catalog. But the singer’s latest track, “Shades of Cool,” might be even better.
The sound won’t be new for Del Rey fans: a chiming guitar, slow-burn bass line, and swelling orchestra all surround her plaintive vocal, which flits between a husky contralto and songbird falsetto. But there’s a magic to the track, from its opening chords (which would fit perfectly in a James Bond theme song) to its concluding crescendo. Listen below.
