Like Haim, Lorde has taken a long break between albums. Her third effort, Solar Power, came out in 2021.
That folk pop record was a departure from her usual sound, and it was met with a lukewarm response both critically and commercially. I was one of the detractors, finding it a rather dull follow-up to 2017’s excellent Melodrama.
Now she’s back, having nursed the wounds of Solar Power‘s reception, with Virgin, an album that finds her back in the synth-pop groove of her early work.
Virgin also finds Lorde in one hell of a complicated head space. The album is made up of songs about gender identity, sexuality, substance abuse, and eating disorders. It plays like a 35-minute therapy session in the back room of a club.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and some of these songs do sound great. But others fail to hook me on either a musical or lyrical level. I don’t need to hear so much about Lorde’s underwear, and if I’m going to, I want the songs to be catchy.
The album has been getting decent reviews, so this might not be another miss for Lorde. But it’s a miss for me. After loving her first two albums, I’m about ready to jump off the train after this one.
A place in the city
A chair and a bed
I cover up all the mirrors
I can’t see myself yet
I wear smoke like a wedding veil
Make a meal I won’t eat
Step out into the street, alone in a sea
It comes over me
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, I’m missing you
Yeah, I’m missing you
And all the things we used to do
[Chorus]
MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up
We kissed for hours straight, well, baby, what was that?
I remember saying then, “This is the best cigarette of my life”
Well, I want you just like that
Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm and it knocks me out
I didn’t know then that you’d never be enough, oh
Since l was seventeen, I gave you everything
Now we wake from a dream, well, baby, what was that?
[Post-Chorus]
What was that?
Baby, what was that?
[Verse 2]
Do you know you’re still with me
When I’m out with my friends?
I stare at their painted faces
They talk current affairs
You had to know this was happening
You weren’t feeling my heat
When I’m in the blue light, down at Baby’s All Right
I face reality
[Pre-Chorus]
I try (I try), to let (To let)
Whatever has to pass through me pass through
But this is staying a while, I know
It might not let me go
[Chorus]
MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up
We kissed for hours straight, well, baby, what was that?
I remember saying then, “This is the best cigarette of my life”
Well, I want you just like that
Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm and it knocks me out
I didn’t know then, but you’d never be enough, oh
Since l was seventeen, I gave you everything
Now we wake from a dream, well, baby, what was that?
[Post-Chorus]
What was that?
‘Cause I want you just like that (When I’m in the blue light, I can make it alright)
What was that? (When I’m in the blue light, I can make it alright)
Baby, what was that?
Meet Me In Montauk 
Having never really been a fan of lorde’s music, I choose to contemplate this album cover. What… am I looking at? An xray of two aliens holding hands?
That’s her pelvis
lol – when I looked on a bigger screen, I saw it. Extra points for the zipper and belt buckle!
Lorde had such a fresh unique sound, that was co-opted by others. Seems like she needs to rediscover what made her special in the first place.
I’m a fan of Lorde and have always found songs from each album that I’m drawn to. On this one, my standouts are: “Favorite Daughter,” “Current Affairs,” “GRWM,” and “If She Could See Me Now.”
Some of the lyrics on this album are so raw and fascinating but there are certainly other songs that feel a bit over-produced and repetitive.
Frankly the statement “that’s her pelvis “ is all I need to say no thanks I’ll pass
Nothing on this album stood out to me the same way a “Buzzcut Season” or “Sober” did on ‘Pure Heroine’ or ‘Melodrama’, respectively. It’s also worth noting those are a couple of my favorite songs period. There may be something to be said for her sound feeling innovative and fresh when it came on the scene and now on her 4th album, many other artists have borrowed the sound and in some cases improved upon it.
I feel Lorde is at her best when she’s threading that needle of vulnerable, gripping lyrics mixed with explosive production and there are a a few moments like that on this album such as “Favorite Daughters” or “GRWM” but nothing that immediately demanded repeat listening. That being said, I do feel this album deserves a couple more spins before I make my final verdict!