A four year hiatus and many tweets later, Lorde comes back with her newest album “Virgin“. The world is raging out. Thoughts?
After what seemed to be a career-halting break, Lorde has made her comeback and done it with pride. The “Royals” singer has come out with an 11-track album, featuring singles released throughout the year. Put up on June 27th, the 34-minute collection harbouring a hauntingly iconic album cover truly has some heavy tracks.
Tracklist
- Hammer
- What Was That
- Shapeshifter
- Man of the Year
- Favourite Daughter
- Current Affairs
- Clearblue
- GRWM
- Broken Glass
- If She Could See Me Now
- David
Themes
In this thought-provoking and provocative record, Lorde confesses not merely of sins but everything she carries. In her vulnerability lies the key details of her life as an artist, a person, and essentially as a being plagued by existence.
The album begins with the title track “Hammer”, and essentially cues one of the central themes of the album — gender. This is infused in the lyrics like:
“Don’t know if it’s love or if it’s ovulation/Some days I’m a woman, some days I’m a man.”
The theme carries over to her controversial track, “Man of the Year”, a poignant tale of romance; certainly a recurring theme in her entire discography.
Perhaps the more explicit of topics dealt with, and done so in a relatable manner, was one of a terse relationship that she shares with her mother. The track “Favourite Daughter” is but a testament to the lived experiences that Lorde has gone through, and she paints the picture for us in her verbiage:
“Breakin’ my back to carry the weight of your heart/I’m a good actress, look at the medals I won for ya”
The tale comes back under a different tone in “GRWM”, where her mother’s trauma is articulated as a lyric in a verse. Resonating with many, a YouTube commenter claimed, “As a former ‘gifted’ kid who is now living with multiple anxiety disorders but still trying to be ‘perfect’ for my parents, this song hits differently.”
However, the pain the album inflicts is worsened by Lorde’s tale of her eating disorder, elucidated in “Broken Glass”. Seen in the rehashed lyrics:
“I spent my summer getting lost in math/I wanna punch the mirror.”
The teenage tales knitted into the themes mentioned above come to life in tracks like “Shapeshifter” and “Current Affairs” as well, truly showcasing Lorde’s honouring of her past as an emerging artist and her inability to outgrow difficult experiences. This is explored in her final track entitled “David”, where Lorde exacts perhaps the most difficult listening experience — a tale of when she was groomed as a young woman. Thus concludes the experience, leaving you perhaps either unsettled, bewitched, or heartbroken. Lorde has given her insights in multiple interviews and has communicated her need for “Virgin” to move past and forward in life.
Final Thoughts
In this penultimate and musically subdued record lies the hidden reality of Lorde’s life: a message, even. In the intermeddling of pop melodies, Lorde seems to articulate difficult experiences in brutally honest ways. There lies the power of the lyric, and the apparent failure of music to convey this. Many have commended her courage to come out to speak about her life. Others have commented upon Lorde’s inadequacy in satisfying the production senses of her listeners. However, the point still stands. The world missed Lorde, and she came back to deliver. So pop your headphones on, keep the volume up, and give “Virgin” by Lorde an intense listen!
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