Following her accomplished EP The Love Club , Lorde ‘s new single ‘ Tennis Court ‘ is a testament to her commitment to the pursuit of a very particular brand of alternative pop magic, and proves that she is much more than the flash-in-the-pan artist du jour.
I was lucky enough to see Lorde when she last played at The Worker’s Club in Melbourne, where she performed ‘Tennis Court’. If The Love Club failed to cement Lorde’s place as your favourite new alt pop darling, surely ‘Tennis Court,’ and what is no doubt to follow, should do the trick.
Thematically, Lorde’s music seems to follow a similar path. Challenging our perceptions of self-worth and entitlement, her songs traverse complex subject matter with an ease and eloquence that indicates a maturity that seems at odds with her youth.
The idea of delusions of grandeur seems to feature heavily, not only in The Love Club , but also in ‘Tennis Court,’ where the notions of wild ‘heart-over-head’ dream chasing, present in both ‘ Bravado ‘ and ‘ Royals ,’ makes a reappearance.
‘Tennis Court’ pays homage to Lorde’s phenomenal voice and employs the strong electronic elements established in The Love Club .
Parallels between hit ‘Royals’ and ‘Tennis Court’ are evident, with Royals’ lyric “You can call me Queen Bee” finding an echo in Tennis Court’s “I’ll be the beauty queen in tears.” I wonder if there is almost a mocking here; poking fun at the identities we conjure to build our sense of self. There is something of the imagination here; almost as thought it were something caught between high-school and a fairytale.
In fact, that could be the most apt description of Lorde and her music that I have managed throughout this whole piece.
If you haven’t already, give ‘Tennis Club’ a listen on SoundCloud, and also The Love Club EP. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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Alex caught Lorde at The Workers Club. Check out the review here !
WORDS BY Alex Byrne
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