By Grace Koennecke, Columns Editor
Interscope Records; 2022
Rating: 7/10

Written for the second season of HBO’s Euphoria, Lana Del Rey encapsulates the struggles of young love and the inevitable heartbreak that all high school couples face at some point in their relationship. If you’re a fan of the show, this song appears in the second episode where the main characters, Rue and Jules, come face to face for the first time since the first season’s shocking and gut-wrenching final episode. It’s the perfect accompaniment for the moment that the two reunite in front of a bonfire at a dingy high school party, both reminiscing about the good and bad of their budding friendship turned romance. 

The song itself almost reminds the listener of a slow song from the ‘80s with a hint of country-like twang from Del Rey’s voice, but its flaws come to the surface with overly repetitive lyrics and constant wailing throughout. It doesn’t sound like a song usually heard in Euphoria, which is disorienting. The intention of the song is meant to make viewers of the show feel the pain and longing that its characters feel, but it fails to do so after the first belt of the chorus. 

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“Watercolor Eyes” starts off with just Lana’s vocals and scathing lyrics at first, with lines like “Why do you leave me with watercolor eyes? / Young love doesn’t always last forever / Wild horses can’t keep us together” that make you wonder if love is even worth fighting for. Yet, as the song evolves, it loses some of its meaning with the chorus remaining the exact same, with a lack of movement or evolution throughout the track from Lana.

Overall, “Watercolor Eyes” initially starts off strong and with the potential found in past songs from Lana Del Rey’s impressive and moving musical catalog, but by the end, that strength wanes and takes the impact out of the moment that Rue and Jules come to terms with their difficult relationship. 

Listen to “Watercolor Eyes” below.