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If I ever said the dancers looked ridiculous during Video Games, well, I take it back after seeing Hope live. That kind of interpretive dance, which tells a story around Lana’s emoting quality, is all the more moving. Hope needs to close all her shows - the way she exits the stage is so tragic and beautiful, but real.

I’m still thinking about her chilling performance of this song in Newport. The choreography and subtle conviction in her delivery of certain lines have added more dimension to the song’s meaning for me. I see it as a lyrical tapestry that, fundamentally, is about her sobriety—but also makes a nod to strained familial relations and a darker underbelly to fame. It feels like a grounding force in her discography, and as she gets more diaristic and divulging in her writing, it’s as though ‘Hope’ becomes less and less obscure. Brilliant.

I really love them too, they add such a fullness to the songs, and it seems like Lana thrives off their energy. I love how she lets them go full 90s diva at the end of Ocean Blvd They look so ridiculous ☠️ When it was just Alex and Ashley together, it still felt organic and it was more tastefully done. I only think the new crew of dancers works well for Cherry - otherwise, it’s so jarring to see them do the splits to Video Games ☠️

Seems like the backing vocalists will be there, based on their IG post, which is great — no sign of the dancers yet, which is also great ☠️ (we love Alex, though). Rob posted a photo with Jack from the festival so maybe they’ll do Margaret together?

Omg Nikki looks so good as a blonde. Lana looks gorgeous as always. Love them together – I'm hoping for a special folk/country set today!

The way Question for the Culture is here as if it’s an album ☠️

And then people switch up 2-3 records later and come to appreciate that particular album. The same old song and dance and more reason why it’s so important to actually *listen* to the music and develop your own ear for it, rather than be in an echo chamber of dissatisfied fans.

In one of her interviews this year, Lana did say that the process of making albums with Rick existed in a "vacuum" of sorts –– and that's not to say that that's a bad thing at all. Those earlier albums are meticulously arranged and contain a lot of intentionality in their presentation, which requires some level of spatial distance from things to really focus ("in this town, an artist really needs a lot of space when they're trying to create something special," as Lana said in the Lust for Life trailer). But it's clear that Lana operates communally and has really leaned into the experience of making an album for the sake of sharing ideas within a community of songwriters –– that's evident in how she speaks of her crew in Echo Park (Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, Benji Lysaght, Dean Reid, etc.) and of Jack Antonoff. Her recording music with local musicians and instrumentalists in Alabama really hones in on this idea of making music for the sake of the experience, rather than just the final product –– and I think that breathes a different kind of life into the music, as though the context transforms the way it's listened to. So it's just cool to be on that journey with her –– and this is not to preach from any high horse or anything, but I think you enjoy the music more when you just let it be released without any expectation of what you think it should sound like. (But I get that that's simply the paradox of being a devoted fan, so there's no way to completely get rid of that).

Ok I’m not a Swiftie but out of curiosity I clicked and I love a little brain game — but if 8 and 3 are coming up repeatedly, well, 8+3 is 11, and wasn’t her last album technically her 10th?

Candy Necklace is my favourite song on OB (and one of my all-time favourites from Lana) so I'm so glad they pressed it as a single. I snatched it up so fast!

The confident hand on the hip…she knows she’s about to make a masterpiece. #LDRX

She is a true musical force. These songs——all written and composed by herself at a time when she had minimal resources at her disposal——are some of her most enticing and are just as captivating as her songs of today. Proof that true musicianship, artistry, and poetry can’t be bought.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my 12 years of being a fan, it’s that you can’t always tell what an album is going to be like with Lana before it’s released. Especially in these early stages - people have been preemptively shitting on certain genres for the last 3 album cycles and she’s always pulled through with sonic and lyrical surprises.

Oh she went back to Alabama and took a look at her life, alright… It’s so cool to see her revisit a place that was inspirational to her 15 years ago - excited to see how this manifests in the music!

She looks so fucking good. July 2023 is going to go down as one of her most iconic months.

@taco truck You made it onto Today News! https://www.today.com/food/news/lana-del-rey-waffle-house-alabama-rcna95985

I kind of live for her sense of humour so I hope she shares more of that in the future, especially in the songs

Openstage is like every other company that offers a digital service to users. If you use a smartphone, have social media accounts, or ANY account online (including LanaBoards), then the discussion of your data in this case is moot. Digital privacy is a myth in this day and age, unfortunately. And if you have Instagram and/or Facebook, best believe Meta is using your data and selling it as f*ck.

Could we technically say that Lana made her own version of LanaBoards?

It seems Openstage (the host site) is meant to help artists "reduce [their] reliance on social media" – that, paired with "this will be the official source from now on", makes me think she'll cease use on Instagram shortly...but it's kind of exciting - also manifesting everything under the sun (AKA re-release, unreleased album, and tour) https://www.openstage.live/

I’m more intrigued about the topics on this record than the producers, to be honest. With the last two records, she gave us so many context clues about her lyrical headspace before we even heard the music. She said on the Billboard Women in Music red carpet that she’s “worked [her thoughts on family karma] all out through the writing” and she’s excited to see where she goes next - but I feel that we don’t have any idea of where she’s going next, which is so exciting.

I can’t stop thinking about this. Never change, Lana 😭.

July 20, 2023 - Lana “announces” upcoming tenth album while working a shift at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama. Can’t think of a better way to start this era!