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.

Melodrama is the second album from New Zealand singer-songwriter, Lorde. This came four years after her debut studio album, Pure Heroine. Melodrama has 11 songs that tackle different emotions, relationships, and friendships. Her unique style of lyricism has become very influential to new artists like Olivia Rodrigo. I love Melodrama because of the interesting production and lyrics. 

Here are some of the highlights on this album:

Green Light

The biggest hit and lead single to the album. Lorde describes a situation, in which she has just left a relationship but cannot “let go.” She tells the listener she is waiting for the green light to move on. The production is nothing exciting until Lorde starts chanting in the background towards the end of the song.

Sober

Lorde describes a relationship with her lover where she wonders if alcohol is the thing that gives them chemistry. While the topic seems cliche, Lorde’s lyricism shines through as she describes them as “King and Queen of the Weekend.” In terms of production, triumphant trumpet sounds add to the royalty line. 

Liability

This was the song that introduced me to the album. I heard Olivia Rodrigo say she loved this song and wished she had written it. Lorde sings over a piano ballad instrumental as she describes herself as a liability to other people and “a little much for everyone.” In terms of self-reflective pop songs, it is one of the best I have heard. 

Supercut

Easily my most-played song on the album. The production was quite good for a pop song and I found it very catchy. It was produced by multi-Grammy award winner and Taylor Swift’s main producer, Jack Antonoff, who I also love with Lana del Rey. The lyrics describe looking back on a relationship and only seeing the best parts of it.

Perfect Places

The closing track perfectly encapsulates the theme of the album. Lorde describes the stereotypical party life of a young adult. She describes doing these immature things to find “perfect places.” But to finish she asks what are perfect places because it turns out that life was not as promising as it seemed.

Overall this is one of my favorite pop albums and definitely worth a listen if you like Olivia Rodrigo. While Lorde has won several Grammys, I do not see many people listening to her. But Melodrama is a phenomenal album.