Twelve years ago, Lorde emerged practically out of nowhere with her song “Royals”. The song was sparse, commented on the state of modern pop music, and caught on through word of mouth. Within four months of its release on Soundcloud, “Royals” was the number one song in the United States, propelling the New Zealand teenager to immediate international stardom.

Lorde proved to not be a flash in the pan, following up her debut smash with other hits like “Team” and “Tennis Court”. Her sophomore album Melodrama is a modern pop classic, and her third record Solar Power wasn’t as well regarded but found its fans. In 2025, Lorde finds herself more vital than ever following her appearance on Charli XCX‘s “Girl, So Confusing” remix last year. That’s why it’s a bit a shame that Virgin, Lorde’s fourth studio album is a somewhat disappointing mixed bag.

It’s not because of the lyrics, which are as solid as ever and deal with her grappling with fame, gender and other topics in a fascinating way. Instead, her move back to electropop from the beach party psychedelic folk of Solar Power feels like a move backwards instead of forward. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for an artist to return to a previous style, but Virgin‘s glitchy future house feels half formed.

The first track “Hammer” starts with an abstract intro before building into an IDM swirl. The song has a good builds up to where a chorus should be and then…nothing. There’s just an instrumental where a cool chorus should go. Eschewing choruses for drops works in some cases, but it doesn’t here. “Hammer” feels unfinished without a chorus. It’s a frustrating song: bits and pieces work, but they all feel like they build to no musical resolution.

The same thing happens with lead single “What Was That”, which also has a cool build up that does not resolve in a satisfying way. The music lets down the song’s lyrics, that touch on drug use and relationships, even including a sly mention of her age when she exploded into into fame; “Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything,” Lorde sings. Her introspective lyrics are obscured by electronics that get in her way.

Thankfully, it gets better from the disappointing first two tracks. “Shapeshifter” has a better use of its space. It’s ethereal, blissed out, and its vibe is easy to catch onto. Even though it’s such a spartan song, it doesn’t feel as empty as tracks that preceed it. “Man of the Year” is even better and the best of the album’s three singles. It has a completely different sound from what proceeds it, again using the space of the track of its advantage. It starts out with just Lorde’s voice and an accompanying bass guitar, followed by strings and then synths before boiling over. The format gives her lyrics room to breathe, and this time the build up feels worth it.

“Favourite Daughter” proves that Lorde can still write a good chorus, and uses the electronic stylings of the album to paint a picture of her how her fame affected her mother. It’s one of the albums highlights. “GRWM” and “Broken Glass” also shine with good choruses that make you wonder why “What Was That” was the first single. First singles can sometimes not be a good indicator of the rest of the album: After all, Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion was lead off by “I Really Like You” and that doesn’t tell you anything about what “Run Away with Me” or “Making the Most of the Night” sound like. But first impressions can mean a lot to whether or not someone takes a chance on a record or not, and some of Virgin‘s best tracks are let down by that choice.

Even some of the best songs on Virgin are let down by production choices. It always seems like Lorde’s great lyrics on songs like “Current Affairs” are fighting with electronic elements that obscure her writing. While there are tracks to recommend about Virgin, it is a disappointment following Solar Power. It is an album that can’t seem to get out of its own way production-wise. Hopefully this album’s best songs find their way into the hearts of her most devoted fans and this record becomes one of those fan base cult classics.

Virgin is out now.

Album cover art courtesy of Universal/Republic