When I first listened to Lorde’s new album this summer, I wasn’t awfully fond of it. Breathy vocals floated over what felt like inadequate instrumentals. The emotion of the album felt lost on me, and I couldn’t really imagine when I would listen to it. “This is good,” I thought, “but it’s not for me.”
When I decided to give Virgin a second chance, I loved it. I began to admire the lyrics. I could feel the angst that permeated Lorde’s singing, emphasized by a stark contrast with the background music.
Impressive vocal tags like those in the pre-chorus of “Hammer” and the bridge of “Favourite Daughter” drive the buildup to moments that feel really big. The intense moments are well-earned, and the lower-energy moments flow nicely with the highs. The album is well-produced, perfectly mixed to let Lorde’s vocal prowess shine.
The 35-minute album is perfect for a high energy car ride—if you’re skipping “Shapeshifter,” “Clearblue,” and “David,” the more mellow tracks of the album. “Hammer” serves as a wonderful start to the album, musically and lyrically. “There’s a heat in the pavement, my mercury’s raising,” the first lines of the album, sets the tone for the raised temperature the listener is about to experience. The forceful beat drop immediately immerses you in the album.
The album feels like a perfect extension of Lorde’s unique style. Somehow both angsty and optimistic, upbeat and heavy, her voice takes the listener on an emotional and musical ride. Each of the eleven songs have a distinct character, but they combine into a mosaic much greater than the sum of its parts. The songs are perfect for a playlist or an album listen—and they’re very well-ordered.
Thematically, Virgin excellently captures teenage frustration. From body image (“Broken Glass”) to wanting to be a “grown woman” (“GRWM”) to defeating ghosts from the past (“If She Could See Me Now”), the lyrics touch on themes of struggle and success, in life and in love. All the while, the music seems to perfectly match the poetry of the eleven tracks.
Virgin is absolutely worth a listen—reasonably short and with lots of ups and downs in terms of tempo, emotion, and volume. “Hammer,” “Broken Glass,” “If She Could See Me Now,” and “Favourite Daughter” especially have been on repeat during drives all summer. Right at the intersection of rock, ballad, and indie pop, Virgin is accessible to lovers of all genres.