4.
Melodrama - Lorde
Lorde sets the mood of her relationship-themed opus with tinges of anger and joy on pop ditty "Green Light." Her vocals are both raw and precious, crooning over delicious melodies (much is co-written by Jack Antonoff). There's nothing filler here and the production and transitions are incredibly sharp (those strings of "Writer in the Dark"--a personal fave on the album--with its towering, vintage-Tori Amos chorus moving straight into banger "Supercut"). Melodrama is a lovely, intimate set of heartbreak and determination.
"It’s really a collection of moments, thoughts, and vignettes when I said to myself, “Don’t forget this.” And it wasn’t until I went through heartbreak, and moved out of [my parents’] home into my own house and spent a lot of time totally alone, that I realized I do have very serious, vivid feelings I needed to get out." -Lorde
