Lana Del Rey’s Newest Single Is Here for Your Arguing Pleasure

For those who like to maintain a level head in the midst of endless music-blog bickering, it’s been hard to fairly assess Lana Del Rey. She’s only released two official songs — “Video Games” and “Blue Jeans” — and most of the controversy seems to surround her appearance and its effect on the reception of her music, rather than the music itself. One would assume that a new single — in this case, “Born to Die,” which LDR just posted on YouTube — might illuminate the situation, but Del Rey chose to pair the track with a Harry Potter wizard photo of her nuzzling a tattooed dude in front of the American flag. Some people will go nuts over her gravelly vocals (or the strings! Vulture likes the strings); others will go nuts over the topless photo. The war rages on!