After a four-year wait following 2021’s “Solar Power,” New Zealand’s Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known to the public as Lorde, dropped her fourth album “Virgin” on June 27. Preceded by singles “What Was That,” “Man of the Year” and “Hammer,” Lorde’s return to the electronic synth-pop she’s well known for resonated around the world.
In “Solar Power,” Lorde pivoted from the danceable electropop sounds fans heard on her previous two studio albums. “Solar Power” offered a summery, escapist aura, the album serving as the soundtrack to the random drives I would take amidst the COVID-19 restrictions back home four years ago.
While Lorde collaborated with Charli xcx in 2024 during the iconic “Brat summer,” I was itching for a new Lorde album. After four summers of waiting for an album that could possibly be the soundtrack to the summer before my final year of college, “What Was That” was announced during my final week of studying abroad.
On “Virgin” Lorde collaborated with producer Jim-E Stack, known recently for producing credits on Bon Iver’s “Sable, Fable” and the aforementioned Charli xcx collaboration, a remix of Brat’s “Girl, so confusing.” While the two worked together to explore a variety of themes – all of which blend together in an eccentric way – “Virgin” is a culmination of Lorde embracing the process of self-discovery and the uncertainties that come with it. And she sounds better than ever.
“What Was That” was the perfect lead single to precede the album – reminding me of the dance-in-the-dark energy of my favorite Lorde song, “Green Light” off 2017’s “Melodrama.” To me, “Virgin” is reminiscent of her earlier sounds. She does not rely on sounds that have done her well, but reinvents herself. I loved how she sets the mood for her new beginning, while interpolating the sounds we know and love into this new record.
“Shapeshifter,” my favorite song on the album, follows the lead single perfectly in succession – musically and lyrically. The confounding aftermath of a breakup (Lorde wrote in a 2023 letter to fans that she was “dealing with heartbreak again”) perfectfully encapsulated in the lead single is followed up by “Shapeshifter’s” poignant lyricism of a relationship ridden with mixed signals and communication.
“Broken Glass” emulates Melodrama’s “Green Light” in a way. It touches on sensitive topics (this time, her history with an eating disorder) over dance-worthy, played-at-a-club instrumentals. I find this to be an interesting take; in past parts of her discography, the instrumentals for heart-wrenching ballads full of lyrical vulnerability weren’t ones you could hear at a party. Have we all listened to “Liability?” Putting that aside, only some artists can pull that off – and she absolutely nailed it.
By the end of “Virgin,” listeners are sensing a rebirth for Lorde, a new beginning in a multitude of ways. “If She Could See Me Now” (which I think includes a direct reference to 2013’s “Team” at the very beginning) has her talking to her past self – one that has not only endured tumultuous past relationships but was thrust into stardom at the formative age of 16. She’s “lifting [your] body weight,” growing past fears that held her back in previous years.
“David” was the perfect closing track. While this particular David has never been directly identified, a correlation between the biblical story of David and Goliath is sensed. The opening line describes her as “someone to dominate,” linking the lyrics to the power imbalance within the dueling duo in the story. The pre-chorus of the closing track has Lorde singing about the emotional outlet and release of her emotions through her music and lyricism – especially in the opening line “what came spilling out was the truth.”
Singing “pure heroine, mistaken for featherweight,” she directly references her debut album, likely a time where she was underestimated early into fame, or even in a relationship. Over time, much like the David statue in Italy which has been chipped away at, Lorde has been chipping away at herself. But, “Virgin” has been given to fans as Lorde’s rebirth, her own personal renaissance.
With a successful return to her synth-pop sound amidst powerful lyricism untangling years of emotional complexity, “Virgin” is the perfect culmination of Lorde embracing what’s to come.
“Virgin” will be supported when Lorde embarks on the Ultrasound World Tour, which makes a stop at TD Garden September 26.
