The album was produced by Del Rey, Zachary Dawes, Drew Erickson, Loren Humphrey, Mike Dean, Barrie-James O'Neill, Rick Nowels, and several others.

[5] On April 11, Del Rey shared a selfie on Instagram of her looking up to the sky with the caption "Blue Banisters", leading to speculation that it could be a song title.

[6][7] On April 28, Del Rey announced the album would be titled Blue Banisters and would be released on July 4, which was later delayed to October 22.

The initial album art depicts a selfie that Del Rey had previously posted in August 2020 with a sepia-toned filter.

The cover depicts Del Rey sitting on a porch between her dogs, Tex and Mex (who are mentioned in the album's title track).

Retail chains Target,[22] HMV,[23] and Urban Outfitters[24] revealed their exclusive editions of the record featuring more alternate covers, all photographed by Neil Krug.

[31] The A.V Club's Tatiana Tenreyo stated "[Blue] Banisters is a reminder that when the singer-songwriter is in charge of her vision and fully taps into her emotions, she's still capable of crafting breathtaking beauty.

"[15] Mike Wass of Variety wrote the album "offers a rare glimpse of an artist securing her legacy, one song at a time.

"[41] For The Independent, Ben Bryant wrote a positive review, calling it "one revelation colours the singer's entire body of work", noting "it is far more elliptical and mysterious than it first appears".

"[38] In their mixed reviews, The Guardian and The Observer critics stated the album struggled from "samey-ness", wavering quality, and familiar but confusing themes.

[48] It was Del Rey's eighth consecutive record to reach the top 10 in the US, but her first to miss the top-three since her Paradise EP (2012); however, Blue Banisters debuted at number one on the Billboard Alternative Album chart.