Lorde has always been wise beyond her years. After all, she was still a teenager when she warned us about the pitfalls of materialism on her breakout hit, “Royals”. Now she’s back with new album, Melodrama. This new collection of music details the after effects of Summer love after it has dissipated. Lorde is angry and upset. However, she never charters into Alanis Morissette rage. She’s not as sugary pop as Britney Spears either. Lorde is almost legal at just 20 years old. This is her coming of age story of womanhood.

Melodrama is a poignant, yet short (totaling less than 45 minutes) offering. Nonetheless, she charges out of the gate strong with the lead single, “Green Light”. She reluctantly tells her lover that she’s leaving, but not without telling him how much of a liar he is. The inappropriately titled “Sober” finds Lorde pleading for the residue of her ex. She doesn’t care about the consequences, but just wants him back for the night. This is one of the most memorable songs on the album. “Sober II (Melodrama)” is a more serious and haunting continuation, with lyrics like “All the gun fights/All the lime lights/And the holy sick divine nights.”

“Homemade Dynamite” is an open invitation to tell all of her closest secrets with a newfound love interest. The theme here is clearly living on the edge with strangers. Lorde’s pen is a dangerous weapon; there is no denying that. Lyrically dense songs like the silent plea “The Louvre” and the heart wrenching ballad “Liability” showcase her musical growth.

Lorde closes out her Melodrama with the introspective and vulnerable, “Perfect Places”. She acknowledges that there is no such thing as a perfect place. So, perhaps our imperfections make us more intriguing. Nevertheless, it’s quite entertaining listening to Lorde recount her most beautiful and darkest moments of the last couple of years.