Album of the year. They are the only words that come to mind instantly when I’m trying to think of how I am going to word this review. Lorde is one of the biggest names in the music industry and to put it in perspective; she’s only 20 years old and has only released one album. Impressive to say the least. “Pure Heroine” cemented her as a household name and has had you impatiently waiting for her to release her sophomore studio album for four years. But that time is now and it doesn’t disappoint one bit.
“Melodrama” is an epic 11 track collection of moody and euphoric pop that details the events of a house party where she finds herself getting drunk to deal with heartbreak, the confusion of early adulthood and life in general. “Green Light” sets the preset for the album with heartbreak and searching for the moment of clarity where you realise it’s okay to feel the way you do and that one day you will be okay. The song ditches the normal pop formula and sees her experimenting with different melodies and structures to implement a new overall sound. She definitely is shifting towards a more “pop” sound and the infectious “Sober” and “Homemade Dynamite” prove that. They are made up of BIG choruses, brassy production, big beats and epic little vocal quirks that will have you hooked from the first listen. “The Lourve” continues this euphoric sound with a guitar meets electronic track that is produced by Flume. Now don’t expect a massive beat drop or a club banger because this is actually a very cool pop track that I would half expect from Taylor Swift. The line “Megaphone to my chest, broadcast the boom boom boom boom and make them all dance to it” will be cemented in your head and instantly become a caption all over social media. Throughout these songs she’s constantly referencing a party, drinking and a feeling of love that she had but it’s quite upbeat and she seems to be okay. But then on “Liability” she opens up. This intimately candid track is just her and a piano and she details her inner demons of feeling like she takes an emotional toll on the ones she loves. She’s just brutally honest and if you’ve ever had your heartbroken or suffered from anxiety then you will be able to relate to this one on a very deep level. The album then drifts into darker breakup territory with the incredibly produced “Hard Feelings/Loveless” and “Sober II (Melodrama)”. She continues to deliver brutally honest lyrics and even gives you a hip-hop inspired beat on the title track. “Writer In The Dark” delivers the most intimate relationship themed track on the record where she exclaims to her ex “Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark”. She doesn’t hold back. But then she gets all sentimental on “Supercut” which is a future number one single as it is a PURE bop. I can’t get over the bridge and hook and I’m not sure if I ever will. Fittingly closing the album is “Perfect Places” where she offers a sound that is the closest you will get to the material that was on her debut album. The song looks at the idea of getting drunk to escape your mind and search for these perfect places but questioning if they actually exist and discovering it’s just a mind space. It ties all the themes of the album together and leaves you feeling empowered and as if you just had a 45min therapy session.
“Melodrama” is THAT album. It’s flawless from start to finish. It’s inventive, original, captivating and ridiculously infectious. The fact that some of these songs are so sad but they make you feel so happy and empowered is not an easy feat. She continually impressed me from her vocals to the lyrics to the magnificent production, I was spellbound from start to finish. I feel like I could write for hours about how magical and brilliant this album is but you really just need to listen to it because it is the album of the year.