Released on March 24, 2023, by Interscope and Polydor Records, the album features production by Del Rey, Mike Hermosa, Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji.
It includes collaborations with Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis, SYML and Riopy.
[1] Lana Del Rey departed from her signature colorful language and world-building, found in her other work, in favor of a conversational style, relying on a process she named "automatic singing".
[1] She would sing whatever came to her mind into the voice notes application on her phone, later "sending those really raw-sounding" recordings to composer Drew Erickson, who would add reverb to her vocals, as well as an orchestral instrumental.
She began working with Mike Hermosa, a prominent collaborator on the album, when he would visit Del Rey and play her piano.
[3] Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is an Americana and alt-pop album by experimenting with a fusion of 'Seventies FM piano pop', hip-hop, and dance production,[4][5][6] as well as influences of gospel, folk, trap, electro-jazz, soul, and psychedelic music.
[7][8][9] The album is in contrast with Del Rey's traditional approach of "world-building", found in her other work, such as in Norman Fucking Rockwell!
[10] Produced by Del Rey with frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, Mike Hermosa, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji, the album features guest appearances from Jon Batiste, SYML, Riopy, Father John Misty, Bleachers (led by Antonoff), and Tommy Genesis.
The album closes with "Taco Truck x VB," which features an early demo of her 2018 single "Venice Bitch" from Norman Fucking Rockwell!
[12] The album artwork was shot by Del Rey's frequent collaborator, Neil Krug, and chosen from 65 different images, including one where the singer appeared nude.
[29][30][31] "The Grants", was debuted on BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds with Clara Amfo program, and was subsequently released on streaming platforms.
[36] In a review for Clash, Robin Murray dubbed the album "an ambitious, at times unsettling record", anchored both in classicism and experimentation, but "never truly succumbs to either.
"[47] Lucy Harbon of Gigwise called the album Del Rey's magnum opus, and lauded her vocal performance and references to her own past work.
said, "Beyond simply toggling between different Lana eras, several songs on Did You Know synthesize the personality-driven pop genius and the hyper-specific singer-songwriter, demonstrating how tight a grasp she maintains on her multi-faceted vision and how drastically she's evolved as an artist".
[41] Tom Williams of Beats Per Minute gave a positive review, stating, "Like any good, honest work of self-exploration, Ocean Blvd is sprawling [...] and not without the occasionally questionable choice.
[39] In mixed reviews, Paul Attard of Slant Magazine called the album "one of Del Rey's most obtuse artistic statements to date.
[63] Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd debuted at number one in the UK with 41,000 sales (9,000 CDs, 20,000 vinyl albums, 2,000 cassettes, and 998 digital downloads, as well as 7,000 units from sales-equivalent streams).
[69] It is Del Rey's biggest opening week sales since 2015's Honeymoon, and became her ninth project to debut inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200.