When Lana Del Rey first began teasing a duet with ex-Migo Quavo, it seemed like she was putting her country pivot Lasso on the back burner. Turns out, she can do both. “Tough†is the pair’s long-awaited duet and the twangy introduction of country Lana — like Lust for Life gone to Tulsa. Del Rey stuffs the song with country references, singing about “the scuff on a pair of old leather boots†and a “blue-collar, Red Dirt attitude†in the chorus, a subtle nod to her Oklahoma era. Quavo, on the other hand, may not have gotten the memo, painting a scene of “808s beatin’ in the trunk in Atlanta†in his verse. It all takes place on a track that jarringly switches from strummed guitar to jittery drum beats, before eventually reaching some “Old Town Roadâ€â€“ish middle ground between them. And the washed-out video only keeps up with a blinged Quavo driving a massive Hummer out to the country with Del Rey, where they play guitar and hug a lot.
Del Rey has been readying a foray into country since last year, when she covered songs like John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads†and Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.†But if “Tough†is actually our first taste of Lasso, then those classic influences may have been a fake out. While “Tough†is produced by pop go-tos Cirkut and watt, Del Rey previously said she’d been working on Lasso with her longtime partner Jack Antonoff and country songwriter Luke Laird. Guessing what Lasso is really going to sound like? Now that’s tough.