Yesterday, Lorde released the first hint of new music since her debut album, Pure Heroine.
The latest single will be featured on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part One soundtrack. With a heavy touring schedule, Lorde hasn’t had much time in the studio since the release of her first album, and with only one full-length album, fans are growing anxious for new music from this stellar artist. The single gives us a taste of something new that, hopefully, will tide us over until the release of her second album.
Given the context of the film, “Yellow Flicker Beat” perfectly encapsulates the film’s main character, Katniss Everdeen. If you’re not a Hunger Games fan, don’t hesitate, because it’s a beautiful song everyone can appreciate.
The song begins with the Lorde’s haunting voice singing, “I’m a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm/And the scars that mark my body, they’re silver and gold.” The beginning emphasizes the strength of her voice without any musical accompaniment, but quickly changes to a song with a more electronic feel.
Lorde doesn’t stray too far from her roots with this single, and it works to her benefit. While she has used techno and electronic sounds in the past, the lyrics are even more deep and powerful, especially given the context of the movie. The most gripping line of the song is, “But I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison/And I’m locking up everyone who ever laid a finger on me/I’m going in hard.” This single does not disappoint and may even intensify the eager anticipation for the singer’s next album.
4/5
