While most people have heard of the song Royals by the artist Lorde, not many people dared to peak behind the spotlight and see what else this new artist was up to back in 2013 when the album Pure Heroine was released. 

This album was a staple of my middle school years in which I thoroughly annoyed my friends by playing Royals on repeat every chance I got. I don’t know why this one song caught my attention all those years ago when I heard it on the radio, but it stuck with me. Next thing I know I am desperate to hear some of Lorde’s other music.

Now that I have been listening to this album for seven years, I feel as if it is the perfect place to start in my blog where I am going to review my favorite books and music. For this album, I will be giving my thoughts on some of my favorite songs.

The first track is titled “400 Lux” which is a slower song that beautifully depicts the feeling of living a quiet life in the suburbs. To me, this song is perfect to listen to while driving as it just has a very mellow feel to it that never fails to make nod my head in time to the beat.

After that is the song “Ribs”, which has a beautiful opening that almost reminds me of a mellow version of Harry Styles’ backing track in the song “Golden”. It is the perfect, ethereal depiction of adolescence, with all the good and panic that comes along with it and the realization that you’re growing up.

The next track is titled “Buzzcut Season.” With bold opening metaphorical lyrics the song starts down a path of describing the ignorance that many in the general public thrive in whenever serious conflicts are happening around the world. This is especially shown in the lyric, “Explosions on TV; and all the girls with heads inside a dream.” This song, even with an upbeat backing track, manages to send a strong message to the audience.

Next, is the song titled “Glory and Gore”, which has always been one of my favorites from this album. It shows the audience how dark the world of fame and fortune can be by describing almost like gladiators in a ring fighting for the sake of victory. This has to be probably my favorite metaphor that is created on this album.

The next song is titled “Still Sane”, which as the title implies shows the effects of fame on Lorde’s mental well-being and character. The song constantly swells and falls managing to always sound slightly off balance sometimes, which is another indication of how this change has affected her life. It is a question of what lies in her future and how she will be remembered, but she always comes back to the line “I’m not in the swing of things.”

Lastly is the song “A World Alone,” which shows how alone she can feel in this world even surrounded by people, but it is all made better by this one person who “dances” through the world alone with her. This song’s message is especially amplified by the people talking, as if in a restaurant, in the background of the song as she sings about being alone in the world till this person comes to save her.

This album will forever have a special place in my heart. But besides my sentimentality towards it, I believe that this record is the perfect thing to listen to when you’re looking to forget about the world for a little while. The combination of Lorde’s vocals along with the dark instrumentals make for the perfect songs to get lost in for a while.