Let me start by saying that this album is a masterpiece of music and lyrics. Lorde is a really gifted writer and it shows here. It’s my favorite pop album in a long time, maybe ever and it is the best album of 2017, sorry K-Dot.

Four years ago we were introduced to Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known by her stage name Lorde. She spent 9 weeks on top of the charts with her hit single Royals and her debut album Pure Heroine was a major success. Lorde then moved to the United States (previously in New Zealand) and became even more famous after befriending Taylor Swift and taking the lead on the Mockingjay soundtrack. Now four years after Royals, Lorde is back and she’s learned a lot. She’s grown up a lot too, but not too much, and despite following a breakup this album is by no means a breakup album. Lorde has clearly evolved and while it is definitely a step up it is not a change in overall sound, a perfect mix.

Melodrama is one of those rare pieces of music where every song is as strong as the one before it. It is loosely based on a house party and the events that unfold before and after. The album starts with a classic radio hit single Green Light, a thumping and excitable beat mixed with Lorde’s impressive range that might be the most break-up-y song on the album. The followup song, another floor ready single titled Sober is a frighteningly realistic testament to what life is like after being high, and the harsh reality of then being “Sober”. On this track Lorde begs for an answer to a question we’ve all asked “what will we do when we’re sober.”

Lorde’s third track, Homemade Dynamite is likely named after the playlist that Lorde published prior to the release of Melodrama. A playlist full of house party music that would explain the rather out of place chorus “blowing s*** up with Homemade Dynamite”. Dynamite fits with the house party dynamic very well, the sarcastic hook up lines and post-party drunken car crashes epitomize the kind of parties Lorde is popularizing throughout the album.

Plenty more hits follow those three, like the piano pieces Liability & Writer In The Dark. My personal favorite however is Supercut. Supercut has a great rise and fall, a metaphor for the subject of the song itself, a broken relationship. Part of what makes Supercut so good is the relatability of it all, everyone is guilty of daydreaming, playing visions in our head and creating a fantasy where we look at the past and do “everything right” as Lorde repeats throughout the song.

Melodrama is an exciting album that gets better listen after listen. It’s complex lyrics and catchy beats will have you catching a new metaphor or possible Instagram caption after every  listen. Melodrama leaves you with a good impression of who Lorde is after these last four years, each step of her growth and new experience is characterized on every track. She still has a lot of growing up to do, but if this album is any indication of what’s to come I think we’re all in for some great music in the not-so-distant future.

Can’t miss track: Green Light

My Rating: 8 out of 10

 

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