If you’re a fan of Lorde, you’ve been waiting for this album for almost 4 years. “Royals” has been off the daily radio rotation for quite some time now, and there’s only so many times you can listen straight through every song on Pure Heroine (the extended version, of course). Well, Ella has finally come out from hiding and gave us an album that, in my opinion, greatly exceeded expectations. I’ve been listening to the entire record on repeat since the second it was released, and I’m going to go through each song and give them my honest review.
1. Greenlight
Favorite Lyrics: “Sometimes I wake up in a different bedroom / I whisper things, the city sings them back to you”
After listening to the entire album a million times, I can honestly say that “Greenlight” was the best choice for the first radio single. It’s extremely catchy with just the right amount of redundancy in the lyrics to get them stuck in your head. My favorite part of the instrumentation, besides the electronics pumping up the chorus, is the heavy piano that sets the beat for the pre-chorus. It’s perfect because it sounds so familiar, but I cannot pinpoint where I’ve heard it before.
2. Sober
Favorite Lyrics: “But my hips have missed your hips / So, let’s get to know the kicks / Will you sway with me? / Go stray with me?”
This isn’t one of my favorite songs on the album, but it is really, really unique. What makes it so memorable is the very start of the song when she is whispering “night, midnight, lose my mind” repeatedly, in a pretty haunting manner. When you listen with headphones, the voices are alternating between ears! I think my favorite thing about it is the trumpets that chime intermittently during the chorus. Also, the beat completely changes during the bridge, which is surprising and brings suspense to the last chorus.
3. Homemade Dynamite
Favorite Lyrics: “Don’t know you super but I think you might be the same as me / Behave abnormally”
I had high expectations for this song based on the title alone, and it has really become one of my favorites. I usually go to this song first when I am in the mood to listen to Melodrama. It’s got a mid-tempo chorus, but it’s still something I could work out to. The instrumentation of this chorus is really cool, and Lorde does that thing where she layers her voice a few times so it sounds like five people are singing together. My favorite part is when she whispers “now you know it’s really gonna blow,” and then she makes a funny explosion noise.
4. The Louvre
Favorite Lyrics: “But we’re the greatest / They’ll hang us in The Louvre / Down the back / But who cares? / Still the Louvre”
This song is so cute! It’s also one of my favorites on the whole record. She uses her signature voice layering technique again for the whole pre-chorus which then switches to just her speaking: “broadcast the boom, boom, boom, and make them all dance to it.” Following that, what I consider the chorus is mostly this strange music compilation that has been edited to sound muffled. It sounds like you’re standing outside the door of a party or locked in the bathroom that is playing music, and the walls are softening the song. The only questionable part, to me, is that the last minute has no lyrics. I’m sure there’s a reason behind it, but I haven’t figured that out yet.
5. Liability
Favorite Lyrics: “We slow dance / In the living room, but all that a stranger would see / Is one girl, swaying alone / Stroking her cheek”
If you’re looking for the song on the album that is likely to make you cry, this is the one. It’s not your typical slow ballad, though. Lorde sings about a lot of relatable insecurities and feelings that a lot of people feel at times, but her lyrics are so unique and beautiful.
6. Hard Feelings/Loveless
Favorite Lyrics: “When you’ve outgrown a lover / The whole world knows but you / It’s time to let go of this endless summer afternoon”
A lot of artists have been doing this on their new albums: putting two separate songs together on one long track. “Hard Feelings” and “Loveless” are completely different in rhythm, beat, and singing styles, but for some reason they work together. Hard Feelings is slower, with really cool electronic sounds at the end. Then, after a while of just sporadic electronics over the back track, you think “Loveless” is going to start, but it’s actually the last verse of “Hard Feelings”! I think after that when the beat drops, is my favorite part. “Loveless” has a harsh, heavy electronic “hip-hoppy” beat. Lorde sings with her stunning “whispery” voice, and the last 45 seconds is her repeating “L-O-V-E-L-E-S-S generation” over and over as the volume gets lower, all the way to silence.
7. Sober II (Melodrama)
Favorite Lyrics: “And the terror and horror / God, I wonder why we bother / All the glamour and the trauma and the f***ing melodrama”
The part 2 of “Sober” doesn’t sound anything like the first part. It is mostly slow, with very high pitched violins with the occasional thundering drums that complement the haunting lyrics. Then, all of a sudden, the beat drops, and what is still extremely eerie, has a harsh electronic beat for the middle of the song. It ends with Lorde repeating “we told you this was melodrama” in an almost “little girl” sounding voice.8. Writer in the Dark
Favorite Lyrics: “But in our darkest hours / I stumbled on a secret power / I’ll find a way to be without you, babe”
I’m torn between this song and the next on which one I’d call my favorite. Like “Liability” it is a very ballad, but it is probably the most haunting song on the album, probably because of the way she sings the second part of the chorus. In a beautiful, yet very high pitched, voice, you feel like Ella is keeping herself from crying while she sings the lyrics. This song really pulls at your heart strings, and I’m sure it’s going to be extremely powerful live on stage.9. Supercut
Favorite Lyrics: “Because ours (are the moments I play in the dark) / We were wild and fluorescent, come home to my heart”
I think I’ve decided that “Supercut” is my favorite song on the whole album. I can’t stop listening to it! It’s so simple, but the combination or the catchy lyrics, interesting instrumentation, and uniqueness of the story concept made it the one I’ll never get tired of hearing. Although I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, which is just a little bit over a minute of the same electronic sound that is muffled like the chorus in “The Louvre”, this song is extremely upbeat, and I could almost see it being played over an actual supercut for a movie or TV show. It also features a very similar piano sequence to the one in “Greenlight”! I had the most trouble picking my favorite lyrics for this song because I have so many.
10. Liability (Reprise)
Favorite Lyrics: “And all the sh*t that we harbor / Make all the kids in the choirs sing woo-hoo”
I’m not the biggest fan of this track, but it is a true reprisal of the first version. She begins singing with similar lyrics that have an almost futuristic filter over them. For some reason, I get a really sleepy, dreamy vibe throughout the song, that I do like. The best part, to be honest, is the end when she repeats “but you’re not what you thought you were” in a low pitched voice, and in the very last seconds she says “you leave” so quietly that you can barely hear it.
11. Perfect Places
Favorite Lyrics: "I hate the headlines and the weather / I'm nineteen and I'm on fire"
Lorde released “Greenlight”, “Liability”, “Sober” and “Perfect Places” before the actual release of Melodrama, and this is definitely my favorite single by a long shot. It might actually be THE catchiest song on the whole record. It’s perfect to jam to in the car while driving, with really interesting lyrics. The harsh drum beat makes it a good running and dancing song, and I almost imagine a bunch of best friends singing it at the top of their lungs while road-tripping across the country together. If you’re just a “radio-pop” fan, but you don’t listen to Lorde much, you’d probably still love this song.
Well, that is my song-by-song review of Lorde’s newest album. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of her music, I suggest you give Melodrama a listen and admire her amazing lyrics, huge variety of instrumentation, and haunting, yet stunning voice. You can buy it on iTunes or stream it on Spotify now!
