7/10

Since first hitting the big time with her stunning breakthrough album 'Born To Die' in 2012, Lana Del Rey has pitched herself as a captivating but melancholic addition to the global pop soundscape. Her sultry tones and ethereal production have become a mainstay for her persona ever since she began, and although her last album 'Lust For Life' saw her experiment with a more upbeat and commercial style, she has now returned to those downtrodden days with her sixth full-length 'Norman Fucking Rockwell', a record that looks to be more self-reflective than many would have expected.

What we saw on 'Lust For Life' was an artist looking to break away from her typecasting, delivering a more euphoric angle to her usual direction. But with 'Norman Fucking Rockwell', it seems she is returning to her older ways, but with this quirky edge of satire running through, almost as if she is playing up to the audience expectation of her by almost accentuating those stereotypes around her. What we are left with is a Lana Del Rey that understands what people see in her, and hams up a return that filled with subjective metaphors and cliched intentions that show that there is plenty of offbeat humour running through this new collection. After all, it is called 'Norman Fucking Rockwell'!

So instead of feeling like this is just the same old Del Rey going through the motions, we are actually seeing more glimmers of her true self than ever before. This new release plays up to her fanbase so much, it almost doesn't take itself very seriously, keeping the tone of the record out of the dark and delivering a wonderfully warming new release.