What with getting embroiled in a row over playing in Isreal and holding a magic hand-binding ceremony to try to oust Trump, you’d think Lana Del Rey had become more pawn in international political disputes than singer these days. But never fear Reyettes, Lana’s sixth album is incoming, and here’s what we know so far.

What’s the latest news?

Lana released a new song from the album, entitled ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’ on September 12 – hear it below.

A second single, ‘Venice Bitch’ is due for release on September 18.

When is the album due?

So far we can narrow it down to ‘the top of 2019’. Pre- or post-Brexit has not yet been specified. Lana has written a book of poetry she’d like to release first, she told Annie Mac. “I think I’m just going to self-publish it and put it out beforehand. It’s kind of random. Which is kind of another one of those things I just want out there just for me. I literally might just drop these little books off at some bookstores in Silverlake and beg them to sell them. It’s been really cool for me ‘cause I was having a little bit of writers’ block with the music last Fall and so I just sat down to write some words without music and I realised there was just a couple of things I wanted to say through some poems, which is funny. I feel like I’m in the 19^th Century.”

What’s the album called?

No name yet…

Is there artwork?

Cool your boots, Bucko, there isn’t even a title yet.

Who is producing the album?

St Vincent, Taylor Swift and Lorde hitmaker Jack Antonoff. The collaboration came to light back in August, when Lana Tweeted a picture of her self and Antonoff wearing matching outfits, and Antonoff has since been confirmed as producer for Lana’s new project. “We’ve been working since December. [Jack] comes out to LA for about nine days a month,” she told Mac, “We have a collection of songs that I’ve sequenced and I really love.”

What does it sound like?

“It was in the vein of a Laurel Canyon sound,” she told R1, “and it’s kind of transformed a little bit because there’s some surf elements to some of the songs – it’s not really surfy like Dick Dale but a lot of electric guitar, a little Red Hot Chili Peppers influence in there.” Not sartorially, we assume…

Can we hear any music?

Yup – ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’ is the album’s first public cut, a classically Del Rey smoulder of silken acoustic country music and orchestral washes. “This song is kinda about this time I took a walk late at night with the guy I was seeing and we stopped in front of his friend’s apartment complex,” Lana told Annie Mac, “and he put his hands on my shoulder and he said ‘I think we’re together because we’re both really similar, we’re both really messed up’. I thought that was the saddest thing I ever heard. I said ‘I’m not sad, I didn’t know that you thought you were relating to me on that level… I’m actually doing pretty good’. He was upset and that was when I wrote the song. I’ve had to do step into that role where I was showing the way and being the brighter light… I thought I’d put it out and it would be one of those things that I felt good just to have out there for myself, but it’s cool to be able to share it with people too. I didn’t expect to do that.”

Watch the video below.

What are Lana Del Rey’s tour plans?

No shows are yet in place. Watch this space…

The post Lana Del Rey’s new 2019 album – everything we know so far appeared first on NME.