Take a look over your shoulder, if you would, at your 16-year-old self. Were you assured, confident, eloquent? Didn’t think so. On her debut, ‘Pure Heroine’, Lorde, or Ella Yelich-O’Connor, is all of those things.
Having been in the clutches of A&R execs for the last few years, it’s not a surprise that ‘Pure Heroine’ is a sleek affair, but the real bounty comes in the form of the songs, co-written by Yelich-O'Connor and producer Joel Little after she baulked at the idea of recording a covers album.
From the hits, the bling-baiting Royals and quickfire Tennis Court, to album standouts 400 Lux, Buzzcut Season and Glory And Gore, there are subtle, arresting melodies and the sort of spare, electro-pop production that shunted Lana Del Rey into the spotlight with ‘Born To Die’ in 2012.
“It’s a new artform, showing people how little we care,” Lorde drawls on Tennis Court, the album’s opener, lending an arch, appealing air of cool to the record that’s maintained remarkably well as her lyrics skewer the trappings of success, celebrity and the modern soup of over-exposure and superficiality.
Lorde’s brand of suburban disaffection is nothing new, but when her contenders for pop domination are an increasingly sanitised Katy Perry, a Lady Gaga retreating into parody and an egomaniacal Rihanna, then it cuts more than it perhaps should.
Alongside Little she’s succeeded in creating a cohesive, erudite whole, one that works musically and thematically. Lorde is already a star, and here are 10 reasons why she’ll stay that way.
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