Lorde wants you to know she’s different. And I don’t mean that mockingly – this much has always been clear, even before the release of her most recent project. There’s no denying Lorde’s critical presence – people are still discovering Melodrama’s synesthetic legacy to this day and reeling from her iconic duet with Charli xcx last summer (‘Girl, so confusing featuring lorde’).
So when Virgin finally dropped, marking her commercial return since Solar Power’s somewhat lighter reception in August 2021, people anticipated great things. I, for one, was happier to see a return to the darker synth pop sound that made Pure Heroine and Melodrama so ambitious and moody with the release (and tease) of Virgin’s single, ‘What Was That’. But while this remains true, and the song is catchy and safe enough to be both a pop-hit and a child of Lorde’s familiar, metallic sound, I can’t help but be torn between Virgin’s mixed bag of stripped breaths, vulnerable confessions and damaged bones.
There are elements of these tracks that, whilst dazzling and brash, do start to feel overly complex for what it really is
Virgin is honest. This aspect of self-discovery can’t be denied. The project opens with ‘Hammer’, a spinning, confrontational tale of desire and new pavements. ‘What Was That’ continues this thread of exploration, starting with the lyrics “A place in the city […] make a meal I won’t eat, step out into the street”, and is certainly the right choice for the album’s lead single. But like every city you visit, there are elements of these tracks that, whilst dazzling and brash, do start to feel overly complex for what it really is. Cities are wonderful places to be. They’re daring and ambitious. But until they become home, they can feel strange and cold for the sake of it.
Lorde’s exploration of the self continues into ‘Shapeshifter’, another ear-scratching, rogue track that is likely to grow into one of my personal standouts. Although, the songwriting here is perhaps lacking in originality (“I’ve been the ice, I’ve been the flame” is hilariously reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s chorus in ‘The Archer’), and certain lines are borderline clichéd (and for the lack of a better word, cringe). “Tonight I just wanna fall” feels like a lyric taken right out of a 2000’s cheesy club hit, and Lorde’s delivery of the line that follows – “Mirror, mirror, on his shirt. I see a hot mess in an antique skirt” – feels like she’s trying too hard to sound cool. But apart from those two minor offences, the song itself is ethereal and loose. Despite this, the back-and-forth between the backing vocals (“Oh she’s a…”, “…shapeshifter”) is a gorgeous highlight that just comes far too late into the song but remains gorgeous all the same.
But most evolve into something pretty and familiar
The biggest fault with Virgin is exactly that: the songs start strange and almost too weird for the sake of it, but most evolve into something pretty and familiar. ‘Man Of The Year’ suffers the same fate where the last 20 seconds are a head-smashing, drum-crashing climax that is almost worth sitting through the initial hollowness of the song. Even with the album itself, the last two tracks ‘If She Could See Me Now’ and ‘David’ are among the strongest, saving the most dynamic parts for such a grand finale. They’re also both the most akin to her earlier work on Pure Heroine and Melodrama. And while it’s unfair, and redundant, to compare Virgin to previous work, her classically cathartic, encompassing and bold production across both tracks is untouched and perfect. ‘David’ wraps around your head with this smooth, repeated instrumental, begging the vulnerable questions (“Am I ever gonna love again?”,), while ‘If She Could See Me Now’ is a clashing, outlandish tune that rises to a crescendo with beautiful synths.
In terms of songwriting, ‘Current Affairs’ and ‘Favourite Daughter’ shine above the others. The youthful guitar opening in ‘Current Affairs’ opens to this beam of indie, coming-of-age honesty – “Mama, I’m so scared” – and is a smooth, pretty song that puts a gentle, slicker melody before anything else. There are also some haunting backing vocals that are comfortably, uncomfortably nostalgic. ‘Favourite Daughter’ is also anthemic, running track that mixes in some clever lyricism with these weird horror-movie-jump-scares in the production that actually cut delicately well into the overall beat.
“An album that is transparently bold, awkwardly confrontational, and honest to its bone”
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for ‘GRWM’ and ‘Clear Blue’, which almost demand the listener’s attention. They both come across more like a conceptual performance than actual songs but do too much by doing too little, with a lack of consideration for an actual melody, hook or a genuine occasion to rise to.
Overall, Lorde’s mixed bag of an album is transparently bold, awkwardly confrontational, and honest to its bones. There are some gorgeous standouts with ‘Shapeshifter’, ‘David’, and ‘Current Affairs’ in all their overwhelming and slicker productions and lyrics, but something still feels off about certain moments in this project that come too early, too often. Funnily enough, the best parts of ‘Virgin’ tend to weigh more towards its own climaxes, with choruses and melodies taking their time to heat up. But is it worth the wait?
Recommended listening: ‘David’
Words: Christopher Tang
Image: Press
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