Virgin marks another sharp pivot in Lorde’s evolving sound. Where Melodrama revolved around heartbreak and Solar Power was sun-soaked vibes, Virgin feels like an intentional return to moodier, darker pop, but with a raw, spiritual edge. It’s more atmospheric than radio-friendly, which I feel like Lorde has leaned into heavily in the past. Virgin has layered production, haunting melodies, and confessional lyrics.
The production is lush but stripped-back when it needs to be. Collaborating again with Jack Antonoff, Lorde pairs synths and eerie harmonies with surprising flourishes, including subtle choirs, church-like organs, and glitchy beats. Her album offers a cinematic feel.
True to the title, Virgin digs deep into themes of reinvention, purity (and the impossibility of it), and spiritual cleansing. Lorde’s writing is sharp and reflects on lost innocence, the myth of starting over, and the search for a higher meaning in mundane things. Some tracks feel like whispered prayers, others like private confessions.
Standout tracks so far include “Stigmata”, a dark opener that sets the tone with echoing vocals and religious imagery. “Body of Water” is definitely a fan favorite for its nostalgic, Pure Heroine-like beat. “Penance” is an acoustic closer that strips Lorde down to just her voice and a guitar, reminding listeners how powerful she is when she’s raw
Fan reception varies. They seem split. Some miss the bright, earthy feel of Solar Power, while others are hailing Virgin as her boldest, most mature work. Critics mostly praise its ambition, though a few find it slightly self-indulgent or too subtle on first listen. It’s an album that encourages multiple listens and holds up as an album with high replay value.
Some feel Virgin leans so heavily into mood and atmosphere that it lacks the instantly gripping hooks of Melodrama or Pure Heroine. While the soundscape is beautiful, a few songs blur together — especially on first listen — and can feel more like sketches than fully fleshed-out tracks. Lorde’s writing on Virgin is poetic and rich in symbolism, but for some fans, it comes off as overly cryptic or self-indulgent. Without clear narrative songs or big, relatable lines like Melodrama’s heartbreak anthems, it risks alienating casual listeners who crave punchier storytelling. A common critique is that Virgin drifts in its middle section. After a strong start, the momentum softens with a run of slow, ambient tracks that can feel like they lose focus. The dreamy production is gorgeous, but it can also lull the listener into a hazy lull without enough dynamic lift. While Virgin explores spiritual cleansing and rebirth, some reviewers say it circles the same ideas without new angles by the end. There is repetition of certain devices, like religious references, imagery of water and purity. They appear so often they risk feeling repetitive instead of profound.
Virgin is being praised for its ambition and mood — but it’s also Lorde’s least accessible work yet. If you’re in the right headspace for an introspective, ambient listen, it can be beautiful and rewarding. If you’re craving tight pop songwriting and immediate hooks, you might come away wishing she’d balanced her vision with a bit more energy. If you’re a longtime Lorde fan, Virgin feels like an intimate, haunting reinvention, as it is something more ambiguous and spiritual. Whether you love it may depend on how much you enjoy Lorde when she leans into mystery and atmosphere over hooks.