Hear Lorde’s New Existential Party Anthem ‘Perfect Places’
Lorde released the second single from her imminent new album Melodrama that’s due June 16th. “Perfect Places” follows the jubilant kiss-off, “Green Light,” with a darker take on the teenage party circuit.
“Every night I live and die/ Meet somebody, take ’em home/ Let’s kiss and then take off our clothes,” the 19-year-old Grammy winner sings without affect. “It’s just another graceless night.”
The song roars with Jack Antonoff’s signature wall-of-sound choruses. But the verse structures are punctuated with throbbing syncopation, giving the song a dark, R&B sensibility. Lorde‘s lyrics match the tone. The song is more confessional than her other songs. “I’m 19 and I’m on fire,” she sings, deadpan yet defiant, writing herself into the story. It’s upbeat and stage-ready, but the heft of her weariness is palpable.
After the unlikely success of Lorde’s debut album, Pure Heroine, which she released at age 16, the demure New Zealander returned back home for an extended period before her subsequent album cycle. The period of slight normalcy informs Melodrama. “Everything written about on the album, give or take a couple of lines, all took place in New Zealand, is about me and my friends,” Lorde said in her recent Rolling Stone cover story.
Watch Lorde speak with Rolling Stone contributor Alex Morris for her last cover story: