Perfect Pitch: "Virgin"

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

Welcome back to a new semester of “Perfect Pitch,” a series where members of the Belmont Vision review the latest releases in music and look for the next big thing.   

This week, we’ll be discussing the fourth album from New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, titled “Virgin,” which was released in June. 

Lorde’s previous album, “Solar Power,” was released in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown and was inspired by her time reflecting in solitude and living off the grid. The album did not receive as much positive recognition from fans as her previous albums “Pure Heroine” and “Melodrama.” However, Lorde was shot back into the public limelight in 2024 for her feature on “Girl, so confusing” on the album “BRAT” by Charli xcx.  

On “Virgin,” Lorde explores themes of sexual and gender identity, rebirth, and her relationship with her body and mind. She returns to her classic pop sound while exploring new production techniques. “Virgin” has already seen mainstream success, debuting at No. 2 in the U.S. Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Top Album Sales.

Nick Rampe - Managing Editor

Rating: 7/10

General Thoughts: 

Lorde’s “Virgin” is more subtle and understated than some of her previous works. The more muted production serves as a somber backdrop to one of her most introspective works yet. The first few tracks of the album build up what feels like the start of an epic, but the second half fizzles out a lot of that momentum in favor of a slower pace. Unfortunately, the quality dips a bit in the second half as well, leaving a bittersweet feeling by the album’s end. Still, the rush from the first few tracks are enough to make “Virgin” a worthwhile listen. 

Favorite Song: “Hammer” 

Least Favorite Song: “Clearblue” 

Favorite Lyric: 'Cause I'm an actress, all of the medals I won for you. Panic attack just to be your favorite daughter. Everywhere I run, I'm always running to you, breaking my back to carry the weight of your heart

Does “Virgin” reestablish Lorde as a leading figure in pop music following the experimental detour of “Solar Power?”

Ironically, “Solar Power” is Lorde’s least experimental album, but also the one that feels the least in line with her style. While she has made some of the most popular pop songs of the 21^st century, none of them are particularly similar to the general bubbly sound of true mainstream pop music. If anything, “Virgin” marks a return to form for Lorde, not a deviation from experimentation.  

Samantha Graessle – Arts and Entertainment Editor

Rating: 8/10 

General Thoughts:

I was excited for the release of "Virgin” since Lorde showed up to the Met Gala in her duct tape top. Lorde is always brutally honest about the stage of life she’s going through in her songwriting, and this album continued the pattern. “Virgin” captures a broad range of emotions in such an honest and personal way, sometimes too personal. It was refreshing to hear someone being so open about their internal conflicts. I also really enjoyed the sound of this album, especially her experimentation with new sounds like the sampling she used on “Current Affairs" or the distortion she used on “David.” However, certain songs felt a bit sonically repetitive, which would be my only critique of the album.  

Favorite Song: “Favourite Daughter” 

Least Favorite song: “Clearblue”

Favorite Lyric: "I'm ready to feel like I don’t have the answers. There’s peace in the madness over our heads.” 

Does “Virgin” reestablish Lorde as a leading figure in pop music following the experimental detour of “Solar Power?”

I think this album was truly exceptional, but I don’t think she will ever have the same status in the pop scene that she did during the “Pure Heroine” or “Melodrama” eras. However, like I mentioned earlier, I think she is incredible at being so true to the current stage of life she is in. “Virgin” shows us she is no longer a teenager coming to terms with leaving adolescence, but a grown woman rediscovering herself. I think she is still a leading figure in pop, but with more mature concepts and sounds that put her into a completely different category from her past albums. 

Haley Ramsey - Senior Writer/ Social Media Editor

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

General thoughts: 

All I needed from the new Lorde album was something I could stream late at night when I’m drinking a glass of wine and having existential conversations with my friends and boy did she deliver. I’m also obsessed with the TikTok edits to David and think they’re a beautiful demonstration of free will. 

Favorite Song: “David” or “Man of the Year”

Least Favorite Song: “Hammer”

Favorite Lyrics: “I wear smoke like a wedding veil, make a meal I won’t eat. Step out into the street, alone in a sea. It comes over me and sirens sing overnight, violent, sweet music. You met me at a really strange time in my life.”

Does “Virgin” reestablish Lorde as a leading figure in pop music following the experimental detour of “Solar Power?”

Lorde reestablished herself as a brooding yet romantic pop luminary with the release of “Virgin.” I love her decision to start by releasing “Man of the Year” as it was one of my favorites on the album but still gave only a preview as to what else she had up her sleeve. I think her 2021 release “Solar Power” was a clear deviation from Lorde’s usual stylings which left many fans longing for the moody, dance-along-in-your-bedroom radio hits that made Lorde a star in the first place. “Virgin” is undoubtedly a return to that. With soul-crushing lyrics from “Favourite Daughter” all the way to “Clearblue” and “Broken Glass,” this album is not a casual listen, but instead reminiscent of spoken diary entries with a vibrant, electro-pop production style that sounds like the grown-up sister to both “Pure Heroine” and “Melodrama.” 

Ria Skyer - Senior Writer

Overall Rating: 7/10

General Thoughts: 

When sad girls needed her most, Lorde returned from her four-year release drought with “Virgin”: an exploration of every emotion that isn’t quite morose or joyous. In this range, Lorde deconstructs topics such as reflecting on childhood voices, living in an adult body, and healing in nonlinear ways. Songs like “GRWM” and “Shapeshifter” best reflect the fluidity with which Lorde views her world and worth. Lorde’s voice sounds stronger than ever around a metallic, industrial landscape, but she often trades her vocal agility for muffled riffs or Louis Armstrong-esque scats. This leaves sections in “Clearblue” and “David” reliant on the production to build tension. “Broken Glass” is a standout in its discussion of body image. Lorde completely forfeits the superstition of breaking a mirror to free herself from the chains of perceiving her appearance.

Favorite Song: “If She Could See Me Now”

Least Favorite Song: “Current Affairs”

Favorite Lyric: “As for me, I’m going back to the clay.”

Does Virgin reestablish Lorde as a leading figure in pop music following the experimental detour of Solar Power?”

Lorde’s early rise in the industry as a left-of-center songwriter has always made her work slightly experimental, as the industry took a chance on her by mainstreaming a Gen-Z songwriter (which is now standard fodder as the generation has grown up). “Virgin” experiments sonically by changing its setting to a place more tangible to Lorde’s audience (New York City) and by spawning a partnership with producer Jim-E Stack. While “Solar Power” featured familiar collaborators, it focused on subject matters that folded metaphor into obscurity.

Zach Watkins - Editor in Chief 

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

General thoughts:

“Virgin” by Lorde is a return to form, so to speak. While the music on this project sonically strays away from her other albums in the past, the themes of introspection and identity weave “Virgin” into the tapestry of Lorde’s work as a whole and brings back the self-questioning New Zealander that the world fell in love with when “Pure Heroine” first came out in 2013. “Virgin” taps into new sounds, new synths, and above all else new questions to ask yourself as the “Teams” singer seemingly sheds light into the torrent of emotions that comes with being a twenty-something celebrity under the public's magnifying glass. 

Favorite Song: “Man of the Year”

Least Favorite: “What Was That”

Favorite Lyric: “My bed is on fire, mama, I'm so scared, don't know how to come back once I get out on the edge.”

Does Virgin reestablish Lorde as a leading figure in pop music following the experimental detour of “Solar Power?"

No, but that isn't an issue. “Solar Power” marked the most significant sonic and thematic departure Lorde has ever taken from her previous album. Because of this, it was met by waves of hate and claims that she had “fallen off.” While “Virgin” does sound more similar to the Lorde who received a Grammy nomination for the 2017 album “Melodrama,” the overall project of “Virgin” follows suit in one thing that “Solar Power” did: not caring about the numbers. While all the songs on this album are great, it is clear that the messaging and the artistry are what were being chased rather than a billboard spot. While this may not make her a leading pop girl like she once was, I think it solidifies her as a true artist over an attention-seeking one. Those who love Lorde will listen regardless, and she is starting to realize that.