Lorde’s album doesn’t disappoint

Kelsey Mix – Online Editor/Copy Editor

1. “Bravado” – Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better knows as Lorde, opens the album showcasing her incredible voice that almost becomes haunting in this tune. Because I had no clue what the word “bravado” meant, I looked it up and the meaning of the lyrics fell into place. Bravado means, “blustering swaggering conduct.” And yes, that was in the dictionary. This song was a great introduction to the EP because Lorde is essentially introducing herself to the music world. In the song, Lorde says, “And the story’s brand new, but I can take it from here, I’ll find my own bravado.” This 16-year-old is more than ready to take on the world and make sure that everyone knows her name.

2. “Royals” – This song actually reminds me of something M.I.A. would produce, but nonetheless, it’s pretty great. It’s ironic that Lorde is getting rich off of a song that’s about what it would be like if she were rich. The uniqueness of the song meshes well with lyrics like, “And we’ll never be royals, it don’t run in our blood, that kind of love just ain’t for us, we crave a different kind of buzz.” I appreciate how she is conveying how she doesn’t need to have money to be happy. Even though the song doesn’t initially come off as serious, it has a message that’s worth a listen.

3. “Million Dollar Bills” – Drastically different from the previous song in terms of tempo and melody, Lorde still focuses on being real. I had to listen to this song multiple times before I really started liking it. It’s not my favorite on the EP, but I love the message that comes with her songs in general. She has a little bit of a rhyme scheme going on in this one, and even uses slant rhymes like, “It’s not about just being out with the right people, cause we can get in trouble just by going free throw.” Artists like Lorde are what’s making the music industry unique and interesting; you can definitely tell she writes her own material and that’s what we need more of.

4. “The Love Club” – Because “Royals” was the first song I heard, I’d like to call that one my favorite, but “The Love Club” is just too good to not take that spot. This one reminds me of Lily Allen’s album a few years ago, which I also loved. Lorde has a harmonizing chorus behind her, yet again, stunning lead vocals. What I like most about this song is how simple it is; yet it’s so effortlessly beautiful and the lyrics speak to all the kids who haven’t quite found their way. Lorde is pretty much saying that everything is going to be okay as long as you be yourself, but she’s also pointing out that no matter where you go, you’ll always be faced with problems.

5. “Biting Down” – If you don’t like the repetition of the same lyric throughout nearly the whole song, you probably won’t like this one. But for a 16-year-old New Zealander who only started producing music last year, this is fantastic. On YouTube alone, there are hundreds of remixes of this song and it was only released a few months ago. Lorde, being a teenager, has a very good idea of what younger people like to listen to and how to appeal to a large group of them. These five songs are just the beginning for this talented artist and I’m making a safe prediction that she will one day win a Grammy for her work.

4.5 out of 5 owls!