Apparently Album Trailers Are Still a Thing

Am I the only person who didn't remember that album trailers were a thing? I'm still getting used to the idea that people are making trailers for books, if by "getting used to" you mean "I think they should stop". Album trailers seem like a better idea because at least people are used to watching music videos to go with their favorite singles. An album trailer is just a music video to encapsulate an entire album, isn't it? As if her upcoming album wasn't anticipated enough, Lana Del Rey has released an album trailer for Ultraviolence and it captures the mood of the record perfectly.

The only official single that features in the album trailer is her most recent track "Shades of Cool". "Ultraviolence" was debuted at a concert, but "Brooklyn Baby" is entirely new and completes the trifecta of sounds she's incorporating into the album. Admittedly, all three songs back-to-back like that just sound like typical Del Rey fair, haunting and lilting and slow and sultry, but they each bring something unique to the table even beyond that.

Combined with the black and white images of Del Rey and friends looking as rapturous as they do conflicted and the whole thing makes for the kind of unsettling goodness you just can't look away from. The monochrome setting with minimal and well-timed flashes of color serve to make the whole trailer feel more dramatic and noir, which was no doubt Del Rey's intention with her music as well. Del Rey's album trailer for Ultraviolence might not be the first album trailer that has ever existed, but it should certainly go up there with the greats.

Watch the trailer below.