Virgin. The long awaited fourth studio album by Kiwi singer/songwriter, Lorde, finally arrived to fans on June 27, 2025. At only 11 tracks, this album is raw and vulnerable and all 11 tracks make it apparent that this album is the equivalent of a passion project. Not designed for commercial success but instead an artist’s escape and love letter to live and at this point, fans aren’t surprised. Since the very beginning, Lorde had pushed back against industry norms, taking breaks between albums that span years, prioritizing quality over quantity in every way.
As an avid Lorde listener and fan, this album was long awaited for me. Following the conclusion of the Solar Power album and its tour, Lorde began to leave cryptic clues for fans. Claiming there was something she had to get out of her and that she was following her heart and intuition. Such intuition even pushed her away from her usual producer, Jack Antonoff, to producer Jim-E Stack. Virgin, for me, was love at first listen. It truly defied my expectations, even when I didn’t know what to expect from it. It was still reminiscent of the songs and albums that made me fall in love with her and her music but was unique to this “era” of her life.
Six(ish) months later, I’ve chosen to reflect back on the album and rank the songs now that I’ve truly had the chance to sit with them and really listen to all aspects of each and every song (and as a coping mechanism since I was not able to attend the Ultrasound World Tour). Here are those rankings.
11. “Clearblue”
Even during my first listen, “Clearblue”, was my least favorite track. The acapella-esque track felt out of place when compared to the other tracks on Virgin. The song is simple and repetitive through the entirety of the 1:57 runtime. All in all, this track just wasn’t for me and is really the only track on this album that I consider a “skip”.
10. “What Was That”
The first single off the album, “What Was That,” served as a preview as to what the rest of the album would contain. It had a legendary release with meet ups in New York where the song was debuted live. Despite this, the song pales in comparison to the rest of the tracks on the album. Arguably the song most “radio-hit worthy,” “What Was That” still contains catchy lyrics and an enticing beat but for me, it’s far from the best track on the album.
9. “Current Affairs”
Contrary to its low placement on this list, I actually like “Current Affairs.” The lyrics flow well, especially when compared to the beat and the progression of the song. The song is full of raw emotion and varying vocal styles, including a sampling between the chorus and second verse. Really the only thing I don’t like about the song is the sampling, it doesn’t feel as intentional as everything else in the album.
8. Hammer
An exploration of gender and sexuality, “Hammer,” is an explorational track both in lyrics and sound. The song also doubles as the third single from Virgin and features the drastic jump from low, slow vocal before speeding up to feature Lorde’s vocal range. For me, this track sits right in the middle because while I do enjoy listening to it, I don’t feel as much of a connection with the track as I do others.
7. Shapeshifter
“Shapeshifter” is also one of those tracks for me that’s just-in-the-middle of the ranking, at least for me. It’s vocally diverse and features creative layering that makes listening to this song feel like a performance. This song feels like it was designed to be performed in front of a live audience. “Shapeshifter” feels like a perfect summation of how this album compares to the ones that came before it, both in lyrics and sound.
6. Favorite Daughter
At the original announcement of Virgin’s tracklist, I thought that “Favorite Daughter” would be one of my top tracks. Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore this song both in sound and messaging but the album is so full of well-written and composed songs that this song just falls behind, at least for me.
5. David
Everyone online seems to love “David.” And I completely understand why. It’s raw, it’s emotional and it’s the perfect conclusion to the album. To be honest, I don’t have a lot to say about this song, I love it but it’s not my #1 (please don’t cancel me).
4. If She Could See Me Now
A bad bitch song. I love it. Despite the fact that it’s drastically different from the rest of the songs on the album when it comes to vibes, “If She Could See Me Now” is such a hot girl song, one of my absolute favorites.
3. GRWM
Now this song may or may not still be getting ready with me in my head since that’s what that combination of letters has come to be associated with in the modern day but I love this song. The shift in backing beats, the melody, the lyrics, I just really like this song.
2. Man Of The Year
Am I basic for putting a single in one of my top spots? Yes. But this track was actually my predicted favorite and I absolutely love it, I love how it draws you in from the beginning, pulling the listener towards a crescendo only to fall short when the time actually comes.
1. Broken Glass
10/10 song. No words. It’s a vibe, I love it. I have no words, favorite from the start. No thoughts, just dance.