One thing that I’ve never been able to figure out is how “Royals” managed to be the top-selling single on this album. The record, on the whole, is phenomenal, but “Royals” somehow manages to be the least of the great tunes on here.

Lorde’s music does a few great things that, at first apperance, shouldn’t really work. For example, her lyrics lean into slow melodies, although speedier parts seem to be almost rap rather than classical pop song. At the same time, there are jagged synths doing the same work that would have–in the classical tradition–gone to large-scale orchestras and rapid, hip-hop percussion beats.

For some reason, and it’s unclear why, this works really well. I could listen to Lorde’s music over and over again without getting bored. The greatest songs here are “Tennis Court,” “Ribs,” and “Team,” and I associate the album as a whole with cold, winter nights. Others might see it as a summery or autumnal album, given when it was released in 2013, but I mostly listened to it through the snowy hivernal season.

Altogether, a great album, highly recommend.