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That kind of luxe just aint for us, the 16-year-old sneered.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
She disappeared the very instant she could.
Again, Lordes moves post-release spoke volumes.
When theMelodramatour wrapped, so, seemingly, did any interest in being a public figure.
Shevisited Antarctica and planned a book of photosdocumenting the trip.
She announced and delayed new music to mourn the loss of her dog Pearl.
Her feet are bare at all times.
Shes sexy, playful, feral, and free.
She doesnt live her life pouting in dark clothes or worrying about whether a single charts.
The reversal is jarring; the beach is not just for lounging around with friends.
Its also a site where humans have convened with nature and practiced spirituality since time immemorial.
Is it coming from a place of snark or from genuine empathy?)
The verses revel in the singers newfound freedom from such engagements.
/ Well, thats not me.
Its Lordes folk album (following similar excursions fromTaylor SwiftandLana Del Rey).
Like Lana, Lorde is a good study.
Instead, Lorde wants us to know why she got scarce and how to follow.
A palpable dissatisfactionwith the transactional natureof success is a major theme here.
Inside the Egyptian-themed Met Gala scene in The Path, the singer seems to find the spectacle spooky.
This doesnt excite her: I dont miss the poison arrows aimed directly at my head.
The sting of losing her dog is palpable.
Shes getting over a breakup with an unnamed ex.
In the past, these experiences might color an entire work.
That can make some of this music feel tonally disorienting.
California doesnt add much to the endless expanse of songs about Hollywood vapidness.
Its a headphone record.
It wants you to lean into feathery acoustics, to luxuriate in the delicacy of its layers.
It wants you to wander into the weeds and away from your bearings.
In Dominoes and Stoned at the Nail Salon, the negative thoughts are offset by gorgeously interwoven guitar lines.
Jack Antonoff is a gifted player.
(The lyrics are too involved for any of this to have come off the cuff, though.
Shes getting things out of her system.
She has a message to impart to the world.
One of the best weapons in Lordes literary arsenal is melodrama.
Lorde used to tell us she could never be a royal.
Here, she truly sounds like one.
Correction: An earlier version of this post implied Max Martin produced Green Light.
We regret the error.
