A key difference, however, is Lorde’s forward thinking production. Where Del Rey looked to past glamour for
inspiration, ‘Pure Heroine’ is utterly contemporary. Influenced by electro and hip-hop, the moody production is stark and minimalist: all clipped hip-hop beats, icy synths and rumbling
bass lines. It’s cold, perhaps even
heartless, yet full of snarling attitude and cool. Individually, the tracks aren’t overly
distinct from one another, but taken as a whole ‘Pure Heroine’ has a unique
aesthetic.
The prevailing mood is one of boredom – obvious from the
opening lyric, “don’t you think that it’s boring how people talk?”. Lorde’s vocal aches with teenage ennui,
lazily singing melodies like she couldn’t care less, contrasting with the sharp
production. This sense of boredom
translates as youthful cool – from the school stereotypes of Tennis Court (“baby be the class clown,
I’ll be the beauty queen in tears…let’s go down to the tennis court and talk it
up like yeah”), to the repeated line “I’m kinda over being told to throw my
hands up in the air” on Team. Not only does this reflect rebellious
youth, it’s a rebellion against current EDM trends as paralleled by the production.
Yet how much of this rebellious, youthful attitude is really
authentic? And, quite frankly, does it
matter? Lorde might be posing as a
popstar for hipsters but, as worldwide smash Royals proves, she’s more than capable of delivering an icily cool,
hook-laden pop song. The rest of the
album doesn’t quite live up to the title’s promise as the pure saviour of contemporary music, but ‘Pure Heroine’ is certainly a trend-setting album for pop fans who
are too cool to actually follow trends.
4/5
Gizzle's Choice:
* Tennis Court
* Royals
* Team
Listen: 'Pure Heroine' is released in the UK on October 28th.