After releasing her first single “Royals” this past summer, 16-year-old Lorde proves she can reign a little higher than a queen bee.
“Pure Heroine,” the New Zealand-born singer and songwriter’s debut album, released Monday in the United States.
Adding her repertoire to similar artists such as Lana Del Rey and Florence and the Machine, Lorde provides an album filled with dance club beats accompanied by neo soul vocals.
With most of the tracks having a club music feel to them, the album lacks a music presence, but Lorde’s vocals and lyrics fills this void. Speaking of experiences of her youth, Lorde sings effortlessly with her wide vocal range throughout the album.
The album starts off with the first track “Tennis Court.” The song is slow and not demanding music-wise, but Lorde’s soft vocals provide a sweet setting for the song’s lyrics. The song’s narrative shows Lorde’s age in storytelling, the song to be a teenage ballad about school with lyrics from the song’s chorus, “Baby be the class clown / I’ll be the beauty queen in tears / It’s a new art form showing people how little we care / We’re so happy even when we’re smiling out of fear / Let’s go down to the tennis court / And talk it up like yeah.”
“Ribs,” the fourth track on the album, was by far my favorite track, especially when wearing headphones. The music starts sounding distant and dreamlike, harmonious vocal chords begin to fade in. As the vocals grow in volume, the vocals pass from one speaker to the other. When this is heard through headphones, it sounds as if the vocals are passing through you, creating a surrounding effect with the music. The narrative in “Ribs” is relatable to a younger generation, the fear of getting older a constant theme presented in the song.
A fresh face to pop music, Lorde has a promising future in the music scene, revealing her experiences and the emotions she feels through her music and lyrics.
Grade: A-
