If someone had come up to me a month ago and asked me if I liked Lorde, I would have said, "Sure. She's cool." And she is cool. But for some very weird and unknown reason, I have been completely underestimating her level of cool for the past four years or so.
I saw Lorde at Governor's Ball in New York City on June 2nd and she was more magical on stage than I could have ever imagined. She is a gothic, enigmatic, wondrous human being with some of the greatest talent I've ever had the great pleasure to witness. I was actually mad at myself after the set because it took me so long to catch onto this: Lorde is amazing. As my friend's Instagram caption correctly stated, she is likely our world's "Lorde and savior."
Well, it's safe to say that if someone comes up to me now and asks me if I like Lorde, I will probably just scream, "BUY 'MELODRAMA!'" in their face and send them running for the high hills in terror.
The New Zealand native dropped her second electro-pop masterpiece of an album on Friday, June 16, titled "Melodrama." You've heard the singles like "Green Light" and "Perfect Places" (both jams), but don't overlook some of the best parts of this album simply because they don't make it to the radio. Truthfully, any of these songs could easily top the charts. I've picked four that are real standouts on "Melodrama," so take a listen.
The Louvre
On my first listen I didn't even fully pay attention to what I love most about this song: the lyrics. They're poetic in the prettiest way and they tell a story that I am really obsessed with, maybe because they're actually relatable. It makes me a little bit sad, but just as that feeling starts to creep in, I want to dance...which is a weird but amazing feeling that Lorde just seems to capture far better than any other artist.
Sober II (Melodrama)
Ah, the title track. A staple, and in this case, a winner in every which way. I really love it as a sequel to "Sober," whose chorus recurs with the starting lines "We're King and Queen of the weekend / Ain't a pill that could touch our rush/ But what will we do when we're sober?" I can't pinpoint exactly what about this song is so appealing, but everything about it feels so good, especially when the bass hits about halfway through the song. She just gets it so, so right.
Writer In The Dark
To me, this is the standout slow ballad, outshining even Liability, which I loved (and continue to love) when I first heard it at Gov Ball a few weeks back. 'Writer In The Dark" is the heartbreaking slow song that every album needs, but somehow Lorde has just completely perfected it. And the intimacy that she hits on here is rare. This is likely my favorite song on "Melodrama."
Supercut
Here we go again. I'M SAD BUT I'M DANCING. WHAT'S GOING ON? Lorde is perfection. That's what's going on. This one deserves to be turned up to 10.
The truth is that a lot of these songs are just awesome, and there's not a ton to say about them after that. Lorde rocks. Go buy "Melodrama."
