Pure Heroine is the first album by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Lorde. With the eleventh-year anniversary of the record passing, I thought it would be cool to revisit this project. This album is unique for a pop album because it is not about love. Instead, Pure Heroine dives into topics like friendship, and growing up. Here are some standout tracks:

Royals: The radio hit from this record and the song that propelled Lorde into fame, “Royals” is an extremely well-written song about being a teen and not having the kind of money or problems that celebrities have. The instrumental consists of heavy snaps and layered backing vocals. It is a surprise that this song became so successful considering it came out during a time when Katy Perry’s love anthems ruled the radio. “Royals”, lyrically is the complete opposite and has a more laid-back and simple kind of production. 

Buzzcut Season: A truly endearing song about friendship and summer memories. The production includes a bright, almost hopeful-sounding keyboard. She sings about enjoying her life with her friends and making exciting memories, but at the end, it takes a sad turn as she says “I live in a hologram with you” explaining how now the fun times are over, and they will never be the same as they were.

Ribs: Possibly her most popular song on Spotify right now, “Ribs” is an endearing ballad about growing up. The song starts off with beautiful vocals being sung, which eventually form into the beat. The song reminisces about the good times of just laughing with your friends “until your ribs get tough”. As someone who is growing up right now, I found it to be a very relatable and interesting view on aging.

Glory and Gore: This song is a personal favorite of mine. The idea of “Glory and Gore go hand in hand” is very interesting. This is a great metaphor for fame as the benefits and the pains are often intertwined. The production continues in the same laid-back approach as the rest of the album but has this siren kind of sound in the second half. Her shouty vocals in the chorus add a catchy element to the song. 

Overall this is a fantastic record that really shaped the songwriter of artists in the years to come. While Lorde has not released many albums, Pure Heroine definitely has some incredible songs. I hope you enjoyed this album as much as I did.