Lorde is Ready to be Born Again with Virgin

Written by Claire Hookstra

Image courtesy of Spotify

The ambitious nature of Virgin was immediately brought to the public eye before the album even released. Standing alone on a small raised box on an April night in Washington Square Park, thousands swarmed the artist as Lorde danced in place, dressed in a white dress shirt, to the then-unreleased lead single of the record, “What Was That.”

Two months later, the world was gifted Lorde’s fourth studio album, Virgin– the emotional, electronic, and authentic work that reveals vulnerable truths the artist has decided to share with the world. The record feels as if you're listening to her diary, sharing intimate moments of freedom and entrapment by her own thoughts. Produced by Jim E-Stack and Dan Nigro, it’s the loudest record Lorde has released, pairing perfectly with the unapologetically honest nature of the lyrics. 

Lorde’s commitment to being genuine throughout the record is evident from the opening track “Hammer” through the closer, “David.” The cryptic first notes of “Hammer,” in a way, are the theme of the album in sonic form. Distorted, glitchy, messy, and unsure, these electronic noises and hums represent the tortured world of Virgin. While the title may suggest the record will be a narrative of purity, it is quite far from that. Lorde isn’t scared to reveal the mistakes she’s made or the intensely grotesque components of romance; she’s never been more unsure or more confident than now. 

“An ode to life in the city and horniness,” as described by Lorde on Instagram, “Hammer” opens the record. Noting her gender exploration singing “Some days I’m a woman / Some days I’m a man,” Lorde is “ready to feel like [she doesn’t] have the answers,” accepting the uncertainty she’s found in her newfound identity. “What Was That,” briefly notes heartbreak but focuses on the aftereffect, questioning what the dream-like chaos she once shared with another truly was. 

Further continuing her experimentation with identity, “Shapeshifter” relays that Lorde morphs into different versions of herself to meet her own and others' expectations. She’s been so many people and so many alternate versions of herself that she’s ready to “fall” into her most authentic self. The idea of identity and true forms continues with “Man of the Year,” a song of euphoric gender dysphoria. “My babe can’t believe I’ve become someone else / Someone more like myself,” she croons in the first verse of the track. 

Photo courtesy of Thistle Brown

The album creates a unique synergy, moving swiftly from track to track with each song relating to the previous but telling a brand new story and bringing a brand new sound. “Favourite Daughter” narrates the overwhelming feeling of needing to be loved by both her mother and her fans, the latter being a feeling that the artist has been dealing with since her rise to fame at just 16 years old. A fiery failed relationship, cursed from the start, “Current Affairs” is a result of Lorde’s habitual shapeshifting, dealing with a relationship she knew could never be. Scared of the path the relationship is plummeting down, Lorde sings “My bed is on fire / Mama, I'm so scared / Don’t know how to come back / Once I get out on the edge."

Shockingly stunning, the a cappella track “Clearblue” is hauntingly addictive. Referring back to how the title of the record is misleading, this track narrates the overhwhelming range of emotions that stem from the act of unprotected sex leading to an accidental pregnancy. The abstract yet smooth electronic quality of her voice is reminiscent of Bon Iver’s “715-CREEKS,” emotional and revealing. 

Continuing her journey of self-discovery and acceptance, “GRWM” yearns to be grown, be sure of oneself, and to feel like you have it all together, even when you do not. A contrast from yearning to be grown, Lorde switches to her past with “Broken Glass.” The artist has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder in the past, but this track gives us an emotional truth of the matter. She looks back in regret on how much time, effort, and energy she put into maintaining her weight. Wanting to eventually break the mirror, Lorde questions how it “might be months of bad luck / but what if it’s just broken glass?”

“If She Could See Me Now” ties the entire album together, swirling the narratives of identity, pain, and, strangely, a sense of complete freedom into one track. The sporadic, glitchy production of the track is just perfect behind Lorde’s angelic yet gritty vocal quality on the song. “I bring the pain out the synthesizer / The bodies move like there’s spirits inside them,” she sings, and she’s anything but wrong. Lorde’s tracks create spirits inside her fans as they dance to her notoriously synth-heavy discography, whether it be in their headphones alone in their room, in a packed bar with their best friends, or live in unison with Lorde herself. 

What might be the most euphoric and brilliant closing track of an album we’ve seen this year, “David” is the most powerful ballad of the record. It’s full of despair, pure hope for the future, and unsure self-confidence. Reflecting on creating her debut album, Pure Heroine, she sings “Pure heroine mistaken for featherweight,” suggesting the ideas that her producers, her team, and even her fans had of her throughout this time were false. She never felt like the innocent young girl people may have thought of her as. She continues, “I don’t belong to anyone... ooh,” as the song distorts into strange cutting noises and harmonies before reaching an almost complete silence. The song tricks the listener into thinking she’s going to say “but you,” but she refrains. Lorde doesn’t belong to anyone, and neither do you. 

Virgin is one of, if not the best, works Lorde has ever released. We knew Lorde was talented, we knew her work was unique and unapologetic, but now we know her. Twelve years after her first record, Lorde has finally begun to find her true identity, and she urges her listeners to search for theirs. It's sonically gripping and lyrically heartbreaking, which together creates the perfect recipe for an uncommon celebration of freedom, creation, and being born again.