Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor, or Lorde, came into the pop music scene by storm recently with her single "Royals" which not only hit number one in New Zealand where she is from, but it also managed to crush the charts here in the U.S. as well. Without having lyrics representing adolescent sex, drugs and alcohol. It’s an incredibly well produced, and mature album, all being written by a 16- (now 17-) year-old girl.

The album starts off with, ”don’t you think that it’s boring how people talk," representing most of what the entire album is trying to say: people are liars, and they talk too much. Some are calling Lorde conceited (especially for calling Miley out), but her lyrics are truthful and quite frankly, she can be. She’s a new coming star and she’s obviously not going to change. And this can be heard from only the first song, Lorde’s only getting started.

What’s so great about Pure Heroine is that it doesn’t break boundaries in terms of the genre. It still has catchy beats, and grooves that’ll keep the listener engaged. What Lorde does to switch it up on us is her skill as a writer. The lyrics in Pure Heroine are daring, and edgy (especially for a newcomer from New Zealand), but not in the sense other pop sensations are doing. She blatantly calls them out in her words (I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in there air/so there). She proves a point with "Royals," a song can be a catchy pop hit, but not be about drugs or sex. Lorde came out swinging, and there’s no sign of her stopping.

Pure Heroine keeps it short and simple, only 10 tracks, no filler and each ready for the radio. "Buzzcut Season" is sort of her opus of the album, with a haunting chorus, fantastic production, and an incredible sense of awareness. "Explosions on TV/and all the girls with heads inside a dream/
/so now we live beside the pool/where everything is good." That on top of a groovy, dream-like beat, Lorde seems to have a pretty solid head on her shoulders for being so young.

Lorde does going into a bit of mainstream in terms of lyrics in "Glory and Gore," with very political lyrics that aren’t exactly subverting and rather on the nose. That being said, it’s done uniquely enough that it’s actually a stand out track, it speaks enough truth and the message is so clear it’s hard not to turn away from it, but so are most songs of this nature. It’s just many (not all) pop singers tend to stray away from these topics. They sing about break-ups, and being young. Lorde upsets the established order which is why a majority of the songs are standouts.

Lorde has given us an easy Album of the Year contender, with well crafted lyrics and still retaining the sense of pop we all love. It’s a catchy album with meaning. Pure Heroine almost demands multiple listen through due to the sure scope of it (which is saying a lot, as the album is only 40 minutes). Lorde doesn’t stray away from any subject, she calls out her competition and she simply doesn’t care. She’s a young artist, and she’s taking the pop scene by storm. If this is anything of what’s to come from the New Zealander, I look forward to the future of pop. I give Lorde’s Pure Heroine 5 stars out of 5.

Suggested Tracks –
"Tennis Court"
"Royals"
"Buzzcut Season"
"Glory and Gore"
"White Teeth Teens"

Photo courtesy of Amazon