A New Level of Vulnerability in Music

Lorde’s new album cements her as the “Man Of The Year,” even if it is not the Album of the Year.

Content Warning: This article includes references to eating disorders.

Every four years, fans of pop music are gracefully reminded how relevant Lorde is, despite how long the wait is between her albums. That’s not without one notable exception. Following the widespread commercial success of her 2013 debut album, Pure Heroine, and the cult status and critical acclaim of her second album Melodrama, Lorde’s third album, Solar Power (2021), fell short in the eyes of both critics and fans. While it was sonically ethereal, there were few standout hits and an overly positive narrative that felt forced. Lorde herself even remarked, “I don’t think this is me, it showed me that you have no choice but to be who you’re supposed to be” when asked about the project on Jake Shane’s podcast in June. When Lorde began hinting at a new project she was working on in 2024, fans were excited and ready to hear who she now feels she is supposed to be, especially after her 2023 breakup of an eight-year relationship with Justin Warren.

The lead single of then-unannounced Virgin, “What Was That,” was released in April to almost immediate critical acclaim and a similarly positive reaction from fans. With lyrics announcing her desperation to overcome her heartbreak, accompanied by danceable synth beats and drums, the single announced Lorde’s return as an artist. Not only this, but many fans recognized the similarities between the production and themes of this single and tracks off of Melodrama, wondering if maybe she would revisit her old style of music. However, this time she has eight more years of maturity and a new capacity to be unabashedly vulnerable about her emotions. Six days later, Lorde announced her fourth album, Virgin, and promised more of what had already been heard from its lead single—full honesty and an exposition of even the most private elements of her life.

Image Credits: Spotify

The 11-track album has a 34-minute run-time, and every single song fits neatly into the larger project. It begins with “Hammer,” a plea for human connection despite all of the confusion clouding her life while living in New York City, immediately followed by “What Was That.” Following this is one of the album’s fan favorites, “Shapeshifter,” whose production sounds the most similar to Pure Heroine out of any other track. While it is arguably the most energetic song on the whole album, it follows the “What Was That” theme of trying to move past the end of a relationship, this time by recognizing how many other relationships and flings she has previously gotten over, proudly declaring by the end of the song “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,’” claiming that she can shapeshift into someone that is over her heartbreak.

“Man Of The Year” then takes the album in a drastically different direction, starting off a section that explores themes never before found in Lorde’s discography. Lorde declares herself to be the “Man Of The Year” and explains her growing understanding of her gender identity and her desire to not always conform to femininity; the single’s cover art is even a picture of her breasts with duct tape over them, rejecting the societal notions of traditional femininity and gender. This track’s highlight is its outro, where the production finally breaks out with drums after gradually building, as she pleads, “How I hope that I’m remembered / My gold chain, my shoulders, my face in the light / I didn’t think he’d appear / Let’s hear it for the man of the year,” notably rejecting femininity and even using the pronoun he. 

The next track, “Favorite Daughter,” feels like a nod to Lorde’s Pure Heroine self, back when she was only 16, describing herself as “Just some kid faking it for your love,” referencing her parents and her desire to make them proud, explaining throughout the song how the main goal from her fame was to impress them. Then, the next song “Current Affairs” is one of her most personal songs ever and an underrated pick from Virgin. Grappling with both a breakup and trying to overcome fears around physical intimacy, the track utilizes overlapped vocals, synths, and a sample from Dexta Daps, a Jamaican reggae artist. The highlight of this song, and arguably Virgin, is the bridge, in which Lorde’s isolated vocals over a synth beat utilize double-meaning and lament, “But now I’m high enough to know / Yeah, I think he’s gon’ / Blame it on current affairs,” before the production breaks out with drums and the Daps sample.

The next few tracks dip in quality overall, with “GRWM” and “If She Could See Me Now” feeling distant in contrast to the rest of Virgin’s raw authenticity. However, two tracks in the closing half, “Broken Glass” and “David,” shine; they’re extremely well-done, personal introspections on the past few years of Lorde’s life. “Broken Glass,” reflects Lorde’s experience with bulimia, filled with regretful lyrics and ultimately a message of hope and a reminder that eating disorders are always worth overcoming, despite how difficult and impossible it can seem. The closing track, “David,” serves as Lorde’s final reminder of the heartbreak she has suffered, both asking how she ended up in the situation she is in now while proudly declaring her freedom with the hook, “Why do we run to the ones we do? / I don’t belong to anyone” in the chorus. However, she finally ends Virgin by repeatedly asking “Am I ever gonna love again?”—a harrowing reminder that this album is one not only about restarting, but that in order to truly restart, something first must be lost.

Lorde’s Virgin might not be an exact replica of her earlier albums that fans have long been begging for, but nevertheless, it is honest in a unique way. It shows a level of vulnerability that is impossible for most to reach, let alone feel comfortable enough to put on a record. The highlights of the album are these raw and authentic moments that seemingly draw the listener into Lorde’s world. From exploring her complicated gender identity to dealing with a life-altering heartbreak, Lorde’s Virgin is purely what she promised it to be—an authentic and introspective exploration of what it means to truly “start over.”

Rating: INDY

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Alexis Wilson is a freshman in the CAS planning on studying Government and possibly English.