Lordes Hammer: A Bold Exploration of Gender and City Life

Lorde has just released her latest single "Hammer" from her upcoming fourth album, Virgin, which is scheduled to be released on June 27. The euphoric new track is co-produced by Lorde and Jim-E Stack, and it starts with an electronic passage that has drawn comparisons to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" by some online commentators. In a post on Instagram on June 18, Lorde explained that the new song would be titled "Hammer" and described it as an "ode to city life and horniness tbh." The track also references Lorde's previous comments surrounding the forthcoming recording, including rebirth and her relationship with gender, as evidenced in the line, "Some days I'm a woman, some days I'm a man." The line echoes the singer's recent comments about fostering a close friendship with Chappell Roan in the past year, with the pair also discussing Lorde's changing relationship with gender. Lorde recalled, "I was like, 'I'm a woman except for the days when I'm a man.'" She continued, "I know that's not a very satisfying answer, but there's a part of me that is really resistant to boxing it up." Gender is just one of several topics Lorde has promised to explore on Virgin, which drops June 27 via Republic Records and features additional production from Fabiana Palladino, Andrew Aged, Buddy Ross, Dan Nigro, and Dev Hynes of Blood Orange. The singer-songwriter has also said that the album was informed by her experiences with disordered eating, quitting birth control, and breaking off a long-term relationship. "THE COLOUR OF THE ALBUM IS CLEAR," she described the project when announcing it back in April. "LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY. THE LANGUAGE IS PLAIN AND UNSENTIMENTAL. THE SOUNDS ARE THE SAME WHEREVER POSSIBLE. I WAS TRYING TO SEE MYSELF, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED MY FEMININITY: RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC.” The release of "Hammer" will also be accompanied by a Renell Medrano-directed music video, which will premiere via YouTube at 9am ET on Friday, June 20. Listen to "Hammer" below.