Latest news with #Lorde
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
In April, Lorde launched her fourth album with a brief guerrilla gig in New York. A message telling fans to meet her at Washington Square Park – ostensibly for a video shoot – caused chaos, happily of the variety that gets filmed on multiple cameraphones and goes viral on social media. Thousands turned up and the police shut the event down, but those that evaded them were eventually rewarded by Lorde performing to new single What Was That with impressive gusto given that she was standing on a small wooden table at the time. It was surprising. Lorde's last release, 2021's Solar Power, wasn't the only album of that period on which a female artist who had become famous in her teens strongly suggested that doing so was a living nightmare – Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever and Olivia Rodrigo's Guts did, too – but it was the only one that sounded like a resignation letter, sent from a beach in Ella Yelich-O'Connor's native New Zealand: 'Won't take a call if it's the label or the radio,' she sang at one point. At another: 'If you're looking for a saviour, well that's not me.' But Solar Power turned out to be merely an out-of-office message. Four years on and Lorde isn't just back, but apparently back in the sharp-eyed party girl mode of 2017's Melodrama. What Was That compares falling in love to the sensation of smoking while on MDMA. 'It's a beautiful life, so why play truant?' she shrugs on opener Hammer. 'I jerk tears and they pay me to do it.' The album features electronics that chatter, throb and regularly burst into fat, rave-y hands-in-the-air riffs, a high proportion of bangers to ballads and a profusion of big choruses. The ballads tend to the epic rather than introspective, with even Broken Glass, the track about the singer's battle with an eating disorder, packing a hook you can imagine a stadium audience singing along to. In that sense, Virgin might seem like an act of consolidation – far closer to Melodrama, since hailed as a modern classic, than the understated and polarising Solar Power. But it seems infinitely more likely that Lorde has reappeared because she's got something fresh to say rather than to reassert her commercial pop bona fides. Despite the talk of pills, dancing and promiscuity, Virgin's overall tone is markedly different. Melodrama was an album concerned with events that happen in your late teens, from experiments with drugs to first major heartbreak. Eight years on, Virgin is haunted by a late-20s kind of angst, born of the sense that you're now incontrovertibly an adult, regardless of whether you feel like one, or whether you're still, as GRWM puts it, 'jumping from stone to stone in the riverbed … looking for a grown woman'. On Shapeshifter, a one-night stand brings ennui and an irrational fear that such behaviour is compulsive: 'If I'm fine without it, why can't I stop?' There's more heartbreak, but this time it's sharpened by the sense that the sundered relationship was meant to be the relationship: the album ends with Lorde repeating the phrase 'am I ever gonna love again?', a sentiment that also lurks around Man of the Year, Current Affairs and What Was That. It's worth noting that the fraught subject matter is invariably leavened with self-awareness and bursts of sharp wit. On Current Affairs, a romantic depiction of love blossoming under a lunar eclipse suddenly turns earthy: 'You tasted my underwear / I knew we were fucked.' Similarly, despite the choruses and the euphoric riffs, the sound of Virgin is noticeably unsettled and rough. The synths are distorted in a way that makes the resultant sound feel corroded; the more ambient textures tend to gust through the songs like drafts of icy air. The melody lines are regularly disrupted by bursts of incomprehensible, mangled vocals that suddenly appear then vanish. The biggest ballad, Man of the Year, builds to a climax that's less uplifting than panic-inducing: the weirdly clipped-sounding drums feel too loud, punching through everything else in irregular staccato bursts; the aforementioned distortion soaks everything, including the vocals; the electronics take on a punishing, industrial cast. Throughout, Lorde seems less like an artist cravenly rehashing former glories than one who began her career speaking directly to her fellow teens about stuff that mattered to them – and paving the way for Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo et al in the process – continuing to grow up alongside her fans. That's always a tough job, but one Lorde seems more than capable of thanks to writing that remains as skilful and incisive as it did when she was precociously skewering pop's obsession with unattainable lifestyles from an Auckland suburb in 2013. Powerful, moving, personal but universal – and packed with bangers – Virgin is the proof. Westside Cowboy – Alright Alright Alright A brief, frantic, bracing burst of chaotic, Pavement-ish alt-rock: feedback, guitar riffs that unravel into chaos, all over and done in just over 90 seconds.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Lewis Capaldi makes emotional return to UK's Glastonbury Festival
By Paul Sandle , Reuters Lewis Capaldi performs on The Pyramid Stage in 2023. Photo: AFP / OLI SCARFF Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi has made an emotional return to Glastonbury Festival, two years after he struggled to finish "Someone You Loved" on the Pyramid Stage and took a break to focus on his mental health. The 28-year-old's set on Friday afternoon was not on the bill but a huge crowd was waiting after word got out. "I'm not going to say much up here today, because if I do I think I'll probably start crying," he said. "I just wanted to come and kind of finish what I couldn't finish the first time around." His set included new single "Survive", released on Friday, which details his mental health challenges, and ended with "Someone You Loved". "I might struggle to finish it for a different reason today", a visibly emotional Capaldi said. Beth Simpson, who was in the crowd two years ago, said it was good to sing along in better circumstances for the singer. "It was really great that everyone picked him up at that time, but its lovely that we've been able to do that in a time when he's felt that positivity as well," she said. "It's such a lovely full circle moment." Earlier in the day, Lorde attracted a large crowd on the Woodsies stage, where she sang tracks from her new album "Virgin". Lorde performs on the Woodsies Stage on the third day of the Glastonbury Festival. Photo: AFP / OLI SCARFF "It was absolutely incredible, she is such a brilliant performer," said Jamie Pringle, 26, who had just made it to the stage before the gates were shut to control crowds. Rock band Supergrass opened the Pyramid Stage, 30 years after they first appeared at the festival. "Glastonbury, what's up," frontman Gaz Coombes told a sun-drenched crowd. "Ironic" singer Alanis Morissette and Scottish band Biffy Clyro will be on the Pyramid later, before pop rock group The 1975 headline the festival for the first time. Other acts performing on the 10 large stages on Friday included Busta Rhymes, Maribou State and Anohni And The Johnsons. The Searchers, part of the 1960's Merseybeat scene, will perform their final show after more than six decades of touring on the Acoustic stage. - Reuters
ABC News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
From Lewis Capaldi's triumphant return to a surprise album party: Here's what you've missed at Glastonbury 2025 so far
Glastonbury — the UK's biggest music festival — is back for another year. From a morning album party to celebrity cameos, Friday was full of surprises. Here's what you may have missed. A placeholder slot on the Pyramid Stage line-up was the source of great speculation in the lead-up to Friday. Murmurs that the spot was for Lewis Capaldi turned out to be true when the singer walked onto the festival's main stage. Capaldi took a two-year career hiatus after his emotional Glastonbury 2023 set, where he experienced a bout of tics caused by his Tourette's syndrome. "Thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards," he wrote at the time. "The truth is, I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come." Two years on, Capaldi returned to the festival's main stage to a roaring cheer, raising one finger to the sky. "I'm not going to say much up here today, because if I do I think I'll probably start crying," he told the crowd. His set included his new single Survive, released on Friday, which details his mental health challenges, and ended with Someone You Loved. "I might struggle to finish it for a different reason today," he said. Capaldi wasn't the only surprise performance on Friday. Lorde rewarded early risers over on the Woodsies stage, belting out every song from her new album Virgin from 11am. The New Zealand artist had shared an aerial photo of the Woodsies tent early Friday morning, hinting at her surprise appearance. The tent spilled over with crowds, forcing organisers to close access to the stage's surrounding field. They hadn't performed a gig since March last year, but The 1975 still put on an energetic performance. Toting a pint of Guinness in one hand and a cigarette in the other, Matty Healy slinked onto the custom designed set, asking the crowd: "How have you guys been?" The band pulled out its biggest hits, including Love Me and About You, with Healy at times skidding across a travelator extending across the length of the stage. A screen above them appeared to pre-empt some of the mixed reactions their set would receive on social media, flashing snarky commentary. "This band thinks it has a charismatic singer," white text on a pink screen read, interspersed with live footage of Healy. "… they are mistaken. "Terrible high-pitched vocals over soulless robo beats. Punch your TV obnoxious. Totally lacking the wow factor. Pompous arena synth. Genuinely laughable." At another point, Healy told the crowd the band didn't want to be "about politics", before launching into Love It If We Made It. Behind the band, corresponding footage of missile strikes, Donald Trump, Kanye West and police violence flickered in a red and blue filter. As the set closed out with About You, the word DOGS appeared on screens, and a single woof reverberated over the grounds, foreshadowing a new era of music for the band. The lyric may be three decades old, but it appears the irony of 10,000 spoons still resonates with Alanis Morissette fans today. The '90s alt-rock icon made her Glastonbury debut on the main stage, bringing a set list of classics from her Jagged Little Pill album. Some in the crowd had come equipped with cutlery, which they brandished in the air as Morissette performed Isn't It Ironic. Over the years, Glastonbury has become synonymous with the odd celebrity cameo outside of headline performances. If Friday is anything to go by, this year will be no different. Paul McCartney was seen at the Other Stage, watching Gracie Abrams and Inhaler with his daughter Stella. Former bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were both spotted blending into crowds around the grounds. At his set on the Other Stage, Busta Rhymes had Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson record video greetings to play during their collaboration tracks, I Know What You Want and What's It Gonna Be.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Lorde on new album Virgin
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Lorde has a kōrero with Tony Stamp about her just-released album Virgin . Lorde's fourth studio album, Virgin, is out now. Photo: Supplied Featuring singles 'What Was That', 'Man of the Year' and 'Hammer', the album comes four years after the release of Solar Power in 2021. Gossamer textures propel the album forwards. 'Current Affairs' samples Dexta Daps' 'Morning Love' amidst cool, lush synth work and layered reverb-drenched backing vocals. The skipping beat and arpeggiated synth of 'Favourite Daughter' lend a playful air to the song, speaking to the the sonic fluidity and versatility of the album. Gender is a significant theme of Virgin , with Lorde describing herself as 'in the middle gender-wise'. The album cover features an X-ray of a pelvis with a belt buckle, zip and IUD visible. The cover's blue colour reinforces a theme of purity, an idea that prevails through lyrical visual snapshots like 'pure and true', 'broken glass' and 'Clearblue', titling the seventh track, an acapella piece just shy of two minutes. Lorde discusses the creative process of making the album and working with producer Jim-E Stack.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Critics call Lorde's ‘Virgin' both a ‘reinvention' and ‘a return to bangers'
Four years after her pandemic-induced pivot to sunshine and acoustic guitars on Solar Power, Lorde has returned with her fourth album, Virgin. Behind the scenes, the Kiwi pop star changed up producers, leaving behind recent collaborator Jack Antonoff, but the first reviews for Virgin are heralding the return of the old Lorde (in some ways, at least). Vulture's Craig Jenkins frames the album as a response to the release of Solar Power and celebrates its understanding of the singer's audience. More from Gold Derby Marge lives! Here are 3 other 'Simpsons' characters that returned from the grave - and 3 who stayed dead Fast cars vs. killer dolls: 'F1,' 'M3GAN 2.0' gear up for box-office showdown "Everything about Virgin, Lorde's fourth album, feels like a reaction to trials preceding and following Solar Power," he writes. "Virgin is rife with epiphanies earned in tussles with one's own established persona. But these cerebral dispatches realize their audience often experiences the work communally and tends to enjoy it most when accompanied by flowing synths and insistent drums. Pure Heroine and Melodrama left indelible marks on mainstream music; Lorde is instrumental to the 21st-century whisper-singer epidemic. Heroine's lean minimalism is one of many sonic precursors to the commercial breakthrough of Taylor Swift's 1989 and thus kin to its many scion. Virgin is a return to bangers." And while the sound may be something more akin to the tracks off of Pure Heroine and Melodrama, there's a strong consensus that Virgin represents a lyrics and sonic evolution for Lorde. "The result is nearly 40 minutes of undeniable pop bangers and jagged synth flashes where Lorde wipes parts of her past clean and makes room for the adult she has crystallized into," writes Rolling Stone's Maya Georgi. "Since [Solar Power], fans have clamored for Lorde to return to the swooping, alternative synth-pop that defined her early career, which means the stakes are particularly high for Virgin. She has answered the call with an album that isn't trying to capture something from the past, but instead leans into the chaos of reinvention." A significant element of the changes present in Virgin's lyrical content seems to be the natural passage of time. Lorde broke onto the scene with "Royals" at the age of 16. For those keeping track at home, that was 12 years ago. "You could call Virgin a coming-of-age album for Lorde's late 20s. It's as if she's finally realized that to come of age is actually a messy, lifelong process — that as sturdy as you think your sense of self is, it'll keep snagging on things that unravel it," writes NPR's Hazel Cillis. "As familiar as Virgin might sound at first play, the Lorde here isn't — and that's a good thing. 'Who's gon' love me like this?' Lorde sings on 'Man of the Year,' in the throes of a breakup. 'Now I'm broken open?' The old Lorde would never sing that. The old Lorde would never even let us see her break." While some critics, like Paste's Matt Mitchell, find the return to bangers as somewhat of a step down in ambition, the move doesn't keep Virgin from being a major piece of work. "Musically, it's the least-ambitious album Lorde has ever made, thanks to her avoidance of the big hooks and explosive resolutions that pop orthodoxy demands," he writes. "But, in an undeniably personal collection of songs full of clichés and gestures toward conversations around earthly desires, gender, and habitual living, it's Ella Yelich O'Connor's most important statement yet." And since this is a Lorde album — which is to say that it's influential — there's a utility in digging through Virgin to see where it will inevitably lead pop music for the next few years. "Obviously, Virgin is very autobiographical and a bit of an elaborate self-cleanse, but it's also the sound of a person in the second half of their twenties finding wisdom and themselves," writes Variety's Jem Aswad. "And judging by how often in the past few years she's been cited as a major influence by young female artists, it will be interesting to see how far this album reaches." Best of Gold Derby Billboard 200: Chart-topping albums of 2025 Billboard Hot 100: Every No. 1 song of 2025 The B-52s' Kate Pierson talks Rock Hall snub, influencing John Lennon, and fears a solo album would be a 'betrayal' to her band Click here to read the full article.
