Burnt by the Riff: Lorde, Pure Heroine

From the liner notes – ‘This record is about waiting for things, and boredom, and over analysis, and angst, and all that. But it’s also about bravery, about confidence, hatred and love.’

Burnt By the Riff covers albums that are good summertime listening.

I list all of the artists whose music I want to buy in a notebook. It’s organised roughly by genre, so that when the fancy for some jazz, or some post–hardcore, or, say, some mathematical deathgrind from France strikes, I’m ready. Although Lorde makes light of her own perceived hipness (a lot of her lyrics touch upon this), nonetheless her music is listed under ‘Cool Kid Stuff’.

This is because her music captures a certain window of time and a very specific state of mind. Pure Heroine, her 2013 debut, it is both celebratory and moody, with lyrics that alternate between fretful and too cool for school, juxtaposed against big drums and luxuriously rich synths. Lorde’s voice is both strong and flexible, full–bodied even at moments of softness. There are few real instruments – besides the silky synths, synthetic drums sit under overlapping vocal lines, mixed together in a way that makes these songs sound huge. The melodies are all vocal, with the keys sticking to outlining chords. There’s not a lot packed into these songs (in a good way) – although they all sound huge, there’s no wall of noise, which serves to foreground the vocals. These songs are generally also quite slow, lending them a luxurious, dreamy feel, assisted by the rich synths.

As mentioned, although the lyrics oscillate between personal woes and glorification, there’s a vulnerability that elevates them above self–obsession (‘Pretty soon/I’ll be getting on my first plane’ – Tennis Court). But it’s not limited to being a straightforward picture of angsty projection. The lyrics capture idiosyncratic scenes (‘I remember when your head caught aflame/It kissed your scalp and caressed your brain’ – Buzzcut Season) and at times it pushes into dark, hedonistic places. I guess this is pop, but it’s hard to imagine many of these songs on the radio – they’re a bit too standoffish. Cool kids regardless, Pure Heroine does its own thing.