Album review: Lorde, Pure Heroine (Universal)

That arch album-title pun rather gives the game away: Lorde (aka Ella Yelich-O'Connor) is a 16-year-old New Zealand Lana Del Rey, with the subtle difference that her ennui-drenched attitude and accounts of enervated teenage life occasionally conceal implied critiques. She bemoans the paltry ambitions of contemporary life in songs such as “400 Lux” and the monster hit single “Royals”, admitting “we crave a different kind of buzz”. Her musical partner Joel Little drapes her weary delivery in dark electronic tones, with a few sparse electro warbles providing the most minimal of backings to accompany the premature anxieties of songs like “Still Sane”. It's impressive, slick alienation for the Y? Generation, but as with Del Rey, it's a one-trick-pony sort of act.

Download: Royals; 400 Lux; Tennis Court