Following last week’s excellent “Mariner’s Apartment Complex,” Lana Del Rey has premiered another new track from her upcoming album on Zane Lowe’s Beats1 radio show. The superbly titled “Venice B*tch” is nearly 10 minutes long — perhaps a little longer than the average single, but Lana has never been one to play by pop’s rules.
“I played it for my managers and I was like, ‘Yeah, I think this is the single I want to put out,'” Del Rey told Lowe. “And they were like, ‘It’s 10 minutes long. Are you kidding me? It’s called ‘Venice B*tch.” Like, ‘Why do you do this to us? Can you make a three-minute normal pop song?’ I was like, ‘Well, end of summer, some people just wanna drive around for 10 minutes get lost in some electric guitar.'”
“Venice B*tch” is dreamy, perfect for driving around and getting lost or ruminating in your thoughts. The music video matches the contemplative mellow of the song, and features sped-up, vintage-looking footage of cars zooming down the Los Angeles freeway, punctuated by an occasional shot or two of Del Rey in a car.
Del Rey is currently working on her new album Norman F*cking Rockwell with Jack Antonoff, one of the most controversial (and prolific) producers in pop. Although many fans were worried that Jack Antonoff would polish Del Rey’s pop to an unrecognizable sheen, “Mariner’s Apartment Complex” and “Venice B*tch sound like classic Lana.
Norman F*cking Rockwell is due out in 2019. In the meantime, stream “Venice B*tch” a few times here, and watch the visuals for the song above.
