Lorna Irvine reviews the latest music sensation.
Is it still acceptable to reference 'wonky pop' in 2013? New Zealand artist Ella Yelich-O'Connor, who records under the moniker Lorde, has released a debut album that has shades of it everywhere and is an immediate pop peach: the little sister of 'wonky pop'- 'swonky pop', perhaps?
Just a teenager, her sound is unashamedly soulful and poppy, as catchy as a cold but with interesting quirks and oddness bubbling under the surface, like London duo Alunageorge and wilful experimentalist Leila.
Lead single Royals is the anthem for outsiders everywhere; young and old, its insouciant finger clicks and creamy vocal belying the snarky message of not fitting in, and having absolutely no desire to. Buzzcut Season is dreamier, swathed in chiming electro, stuttering percussion and drowsy harmonies, and lyrically focuses on youthful apathy, those who spend time attempting to escaping reality, turning away from ''the explosions on TV' and hitting the beach.
She is interested in themes of socio-political concerns, but without preaching. Her mother is an academic and this influence has clearly bled into her poetic, sparse work. The first Kiwi artist to reach number one in the United States, she is worthy of the hype: the real antidote to banal twerking half-wits everywhere.
And as addictive as the pun of the title would suggest.
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