Fans of Lorde, the acclaimed pop artist from New Zealand, have grown accustomed to waiting between her album releases. Fortunately, the wait is over with the arrival of her newest full-length record.
On Friday, June 27, Lorde released Virgin, her fourth studio album, through Universal Music. The project includes 11 tracks, featuring previously shared songs “What Was That,” “Man of the Year,” and “Hammer.”
In a statement published when the album was announced in April, Lorde likened Virgin to the color “clear” — emphasizing transparency through everyday objects. “LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY. THE LANGUAGE IS PLAIN AND UNSENTIMENTAL,” she said about the album. “I WAS TRYING TO SEE MYSELF, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED MY FEMININITY: RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC.”
Although the artist aimed to maintain consistent sonic elements across the album, Virgin stands out due to its lineup of new producers. Lorde collaborated with Jim-E Stack, Dan Nigro, and Dev Hynes for this project. Notably, Jack Antonoff, who produced her previous albums Melodrama and Solar Power, was not involved. Lorde acknowledged Antonoff as a “positive, supportive collaborator,” but explained, “I just have to trust when my intuition says to keep moving.”
Ahead of the release, Lorde discussed how Virgin was shaped by her exploration of gender identity. A conversation with fellow singer Chappell Roan led her to reflect on the topic more deeply. “I was like, ‘I’m a woman except for the days when I’m a man,’” she said. “I know that’s not a very satisfying answer, but there’s a part of me that is really resistant to boxing it up.”
Stream Lorde’s new album Virgin below:
