New Zealand singer-songwriter Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, known by her stage name Lorde, released her fourth album “Virgin” on June 27, an explosion of nostalgia, sensuality and vulnerability complete with electronic production and a booming bass beat that powers the listener through the experience.
Co-produced by Jim-E Stack, Dev Hynes (known as Blood Orange) and Dan Nigro, “Virgin” heralds back to the singer’s signature synth-pop style. It also marks an end to the singer’s four-year hiatus, following 2021’s “Solar Power,” which was met with mixed reception from critics and listeners alike.
In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Lorde revealed that 2021’s “Solar Power” era was one accompanied by pain and heartbreak. While on tour, she suffered from an eating disorder and turned to ecstasy and psilocybin therapy, a form of post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, to counter her stage fright. Additionally, her breakup with Universal Music executive Justin Warren resulted in her “living with heartbreak again,” a confession sent to fans via email newsletter.
It wasn’t until 2023 that the singer was able to take control of her life again, developing a healthier relationship with her body, healing from the breakup and learning to live in solitude. The deep, emotional journey experienced during this time, coupled with the continuation of psychedelic treatments, allowed her to embrace her creative energy.
To put it simply — “Virgin” is raw, vulnerable and incredible, somehow capturing unspeakable feelings and moments in an 11-song track list spanning only 34 minutes. It’s the kind of album you can listen to while getting ready for the club, dancing at the club or even in the car home after the club. You can listen to it while lying in bed in the early hours or while staring at the ceiling through a sleepless night. Spending the summer getting lost in math. Taking the train to work. Falling in love. Waking up from a dream, thinking “What was that?”
Perhaps the thesis of the album can be found in track 1, “Hammer.” “Now I know you don’t deal much in love and affection / but I really do think there could be a connection” is full of lust and allure, while “I mighta been born again / I’m ready to feel like I don’t have the answers” points to a fresh, renewed and — dare I say — virginal perspective.
“Hammer” also gives insight into Lorde’s journey with gender experimentation, with the lyrics “Some days, I’m a woman, some days, I’m a man” pointing to the perceived confines of gender, the singer navigating between polarities. Her fluid approach to gender expression is something commonly explored throughout the album and came about as she began to feel more comfortable in her body.
“My gender got way more expansive when I gave my body more room,” Lorde told Rolling Stone.
What’s particularly notable is the singer’s evolution throughout her career, marked by each of her four albums. While “Virgin” is sonically a return to form to her debut album “Pure Heroine” and stellar sophomore “Melodrama” compared to the esoteric summer-y “Solar Power,” Lorde somehow expands on her already major maximalist sound and creates a booming, explosive masterpiece. This is most clear in the bridge of the album’s lead single and clear standout “What Was That?,” a melancholic dance pop masterpiece combining the singer’s talents — introspective lyrics capturing intense heartbreak and rumination, and a beat you can aggressively dance to.
Despite its fresh-faced name, “Virgin” allows Lorde to reflect on her past experiences, bringing a newfound understanding to her trials and tribulations. In “Shapeshifter,” she unveils a learned numbness due to her multifaceted past, singing “I’ve been the prize, the ball and chain … / So I’m not affected,” building confidence to admit at the end of the chorus: “I’ve been up on the pedestal / But tonight I just wanna fall.” She repeats this lyrical pattern as if she’s trying to reinforce this mantra, before peeling back a new layer of vulnerability derived from painful reflection on a past relationship: “I’ll kick you out and pull you in / Swear that you were just a friend / And when it’s all over again / Say, ‘I’m not affected.’”
Certain elements of the tracklist stand to be a bit jarring. The use of Dexta Daps’ “Morning Love” in the post-chorus of “Current Affairs” is a masterclass in interpolation. However, the “Suga Suga” lyrical insert (“You got me lifted, feeling so gifted”) on “If She Could See Me Now” sticks out like a 2000s sore thumb, coming off as tongue-in-cheek and cringe rather than genuine. It’s not enough to render the song unlistenable (the track as a whole is solid), just that one line briefly snaps the listener out of Lorde’s world.
But if feeling out of place for a second is the only detriment to an otherwise phenomenal album, it’s safe to say that Lorde has reassumed her stronghold on the pop world, bringing her listeners along as she tumultuously navigates the new stages of her life. This is reflected in the outro of closing track “David,” where she repeats “Am I ever gon’ love again?” as the instrumental fades, questioning both herself and the listener and never quite coming to a response.
Let’s hear it for the album of the year.
10/10
