Melodrama - Lorde

When Lorde first appeared on the scene with "Royals", I was somewhat intrigued; ultimately, however, I found myself uninterested in the rest of her debut album, Pure Heroine. I found it too repetitive, each song too similar to the last. So when Melodrama was announced and lead single "Green Light" was released, I noticed it, but again found myself not giving it much attention. However, a few days after the album's release, one of my good friends recommended I listen to it. I was skeptical, but I promised I'd listen and downloaded the album to listen on the way to work the next day.

Boy was I surprised.

In the 4 years since her first album, Lorde seems to have done some growing up; now at 20, she's seen the world and experienced a bit more of life. This album feels more mature, more expansive in the lyrical content and the sounds and structures of each track. There's love, there's loss; vulnerability threads throughout. The whole thing flows from beginning to end, feeling like a story rather than a collection of songs from the same artist. "Green Light" opens the album with energy and a feeling of hope; not necessarily being where you want, but knowing where it is and that you'll get there eventually. It transitions into "Sober", one of my favorite songs off the album so far. It's sensual yet melancholy, thumping along with lines like:

"But my hips have missed your hips
So, let's get to know the kicks
Will you sway with me?
Go astray with me?"

And even though Lorde sings of all the glorious things they'll do and partying and everything else that comes with it, there's the ever present and haunting line in the background: "But what will we do when we're sober?". It's a reminder of what awaits the next day after the parties, when the alcohol and drugs wear away and you're left with the very revealing daylight.

"Homemade Dynamite" answers some of those questions, painting the picture of the next day with vivid images like the second verse:

"Might get your friend to drive, but he can hardly see
We'll end up painted on the road
Red and chrome
All the broken glass sparkling
I guess we're partying"

The pre-chorus also lends to this idea talking about;

"So let's let things come out of the woodwork
I'll give you my best side, tell you all my best lies
Seeing me rolling, showing someone else love"

"The Louvre" is one of the songs that I both love and hate. It starts with a muted guitar strumming The chorus has this cool build to it, slowly getting louder as Lorde repeats the line "Broadcast the boom boom boom, and make your mom dance to it". And it feels like it's going to erupt into something huge and epic and incredible and then it never quite does. It just leaves you wanting more and more, which in itself is very impressive. It doesn't just give you what you want, it leaves you on edge waiting for the next part. Which is why I also slightly hate it, cause it leaves me wanting more.

"Liability" is one of the most vulnerable points of the album, both in terms of lyrics and sound. It's just Lorde and a piano, with really incredibly lines like

"The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy
'Til all of the tricks don't work anymore
And then they are bored of me".

You can tell Lorde's done some struggling as she's worked through fame and what comes with it, in terms of those who are close to her. It feels honest, brutally honest, and it's captivating.

"Hard Feelings/Loveless" starts soft, but you can tell it's going to bloom into something big and bold. The chorus gives you a taste, with the layered vocals singing about dealing with the hard feelings in life before dipping back into the second verse which contains one of my favorite lines "I care for myself the way I used to care for you". The second chorus finally gives way to an instrumental full of distorted noises and a booming drum beat that is one of my favorite points of the album. The last third of the song is where it switches to the "Loveless" part, driven by a hip-hop beat and Lorde's sweet yet somewhat haunting layered vocals singing:

"Bet you wanna rip my heart out
Bet you wanna skip my calls now
Well guess what? I like that"

It continues on as the song fades out, leading into the first of two revisits of earlier tracks: "Sober II (Melodrama)". This one is lead by a string section and piano that give way to showcase Lorde's vocals. It kicks itself up with a huge bassline and hip-hop beat that, when combined with the string section, allow Lorde to showcase a bit of an edgier side.

"Writer In the Dark" follows in the same veins as "Liability", with a piano being the only thing accompanying Lorde for most of the song. This time she laments a relationship that fell apart, yet keeps that hopeful light with lines like "I'll find a way to be without you babe". Her vocals feel like they stretch a bit higher than her usual, prefered lower range, adding to the vulnerability of the track.

"Supercut" picks the pace back up, the pulsing muted bass drum pushing the track along as it's joined by synths that remind the listener of the 80's. This another one of my favorites, with such great use of contrast that give the different aspects of the song so much more power and impact. There's a lull in between the 2nd and 3rd chorus, where everything drops out and it's just Lorde who sings low until she lets herself almost scream and the rest of the track comes crashing back in for one last hurrah before muted vocals and a low synth bass line guides the track to completion.

"Liability (Reprise)" sees Lorde turning the things that people said about her back on them, empowering herself and not succumbing to hopelessness. The instrumentation is still stripped, but it's different; the piano is replaced by a growing synth, and a drum pulses along. This feeds into the album's closer, "Perfect Places", which doesn't let the album go out on a soft note. Despite all the hardships she's faced and issues she's struggling with, Lorde shows that she's not down for the count. She questions the judgement she's faced and asks "what the fuck are perfect places" as the final notes of the song fades out.

Overall, I was very impressed with how Lorde has matured and the way in which she approached making this album. She's shown that she's not a one-hit wonder, and she's not going to just churn out the same thing again and again. The musicality of the album, the sound choices and lyrical depth are all astounding for a "pop" album. Definitely not something I expected to enjoy, let alone find myself listening again and again. Congrats on an incredible sophomore album Lorde, and cheers to what I believe is the start of a truly remarkable career.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended: Sober, The Louvre, Hard Feelings/Loveless, Supercut

Related: Halsey, Sigrid, Banks