did lorde make u cry?
glastonbury fomo, jeff bezos' flop wedding & virgin making ky cry
pov of the week
I’m sure you heard this past week all the depressed girlies scream in unison because Lorde’s fourth studio album, Virgin, was finally released. And boy, it punched me in the guts, kicked me in the shins, and called me ugly.
As someone who will defend Solar Power to the day I die, Virgin feels like a rebirth for Lorde. It’s raw, energetic, and has such striking songwriting that cuts so deeply. Pretty much everything we know and love Lorde for. Like who else could write “Now every day, the plane takes off/And every night, the room fills up with/People who are convinced I'm not/Just some kid fakin' it for your love” or “'Cause I'm an actress, all of the medals I won for ya/Breaking my back just to be your favourite daughter”. And then there’s ‘David’ (my fave song btw) where she sings “Was I just young blood to get on tape?/'Cause you dimed me out when it got hard/Uppercut to the throat, I was off guard/Pure heroine mistaken for featherweight.” Pure Heroine mention!!! But like woah. Okay. I’m crying and shit for real now.
Although I wish the album was a little bit longer, I can’t stop rinsing it. It’s got yearning on ‘Shapeshifter’, healing from an abusive relationship on ‘David’, making sense of your gender identity on ‘Man of the Year’ or your fame on ‘Favourite Daughter’, and openly discussing body image issues on ‘Broken Glass’. Truly what more could you ask for?
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Lorde album without some form of cheating/relationship drama surrounding it. We had the infamous rumours about Jack Antonoff and Lorde during Melodrama, which people believe is referenced in her single ‘Magnets’. Now we have ‘Current Affairs’, which fans think might hint at her possible relationship with Jim-E Stack. Jim-E’s ex Kacy Hill posted a video using the trending audio from ‘Man of the Year’ saying ‘Let’s hear it for the man who ended a 6.5 year relationship while making a girl’s album then started dating her’. Yikes!
Lorde may reference this herself in ‘Current Affairs’, which opens with “Knew when I felt it hit/Stood in the park under the eclipse/It was only a field trip ‘til it cooled my blood/… You tasted my underwear/I knew we were fucked”. The giveaways it’s about Jim-E? Apparently, Lorde was at an eclipse viewing with Jim-E. Also, it’s literally in the name of the song: her current affair. There’s soo much conversation about this, but to me it just seems like someone broke up with someone else and then started dating someone else. Which is like, life I guess.
Side note, she also sings in ‘Current Affairs’, “All alone in my room/Watching the tape of their honeymoon/On the boat, it was pure and true/Then the film came out”. Like girl! Leave the goddam Pamela Anderson tape alone, please. We just don’t need to bring that up.
What's struck me most about Virgin is the way Lorde’s used this album to explore the confines of her gender expression. I have a lot more to say about that though, you’ll have to wait for my video essay coming out to hear them <3
— Ky
Hello!! It’s Ky and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we can all become better humans, so I was stoked to get stuck into this great podcast from the super cool org Teach Us Consent. Each week a fab lineup of guests “teach us” all the different ways we can give the people around us the respect they deserve, one honest conversation at a time. I’ve already picked up some pretty hot lessons to apply in my own life, even as someone who thinks they’re pretty aware of the importance of consent! So, meet me back here each week to unpack how we can make those big conversations easier, because while (unlike what we usually hear) consent isn’t a one stop thing, it's an important and ongoing journey. And it’s actually super hot.
hot lesson #1: “It’s normal for sex to stop [and] it’s normal for it not to end in orgasm”
listen back: Teach Us: How Important (& Hot) Consent Is (40:22)
In this ep Anthony Stefanos chatted to Georgia Grace, Meissa Mason and professional climber Campbell Harrison (hey divas!) about what boundary-setting actually looks like in practice.
For me, one of the main takeaways from this chat was about rejection, especially during sex. More specifically, when sex stops. Georgia brought up a situation where you might be sexually attracted to your partner but not actually want to have sex or change your mind once things have started. While you might stop and your partner tells you it’s fine in the moment, they might grow cold towards you afterwards or feel disconnected. This may be because your partner feels like you’ve rejected them which, as Meissa pointed out, can actually be an abusive tactic to guilt you into finishing.
The lightbulb moment for me was when Georgia said that we shouldn’t be framing this scenario as a ‘rejection’, because it’s not. Your partner isn’t rejecting you or is suddenly no longer physically attracted to you, they might just not be in the right space for sex at that moment, or they're feeling satisfied with whatever's already gone down. We need to normalise the fact that sex will stop, whether it ends with an orgasm or not shouldn’t be the point. We can enjoy sex without an orgasm validating the fact we’ve had sex. By changing that idea, we’re probably a lot less likely to take it personally when someone changes their mind or wants to revoke consent. We should get off just by making our partners feel comfortable! Campbell had a great analogy where he said that you stop eating once you’re full, even if you haven’t finished the whole meal. Why can’t we apply that to sex?
some things on my radar this week:
Anyone else positively gutted they missed going to Glastonbury this year? I fear Doechii’s incapable of not giving the best performance of her life every single time she even breathes near a stage. The 1975 doing the biggest show of their careers looked like pure movie magic tbh, and I can’t believe I wasn’t there to experience it. Nobody text, the fomo has taken over :(((
In other Northern Hemisphere news, flop J*ff B*zos hired Venice — yes, the entire fkn city — for his flop wedding. My fellow Italian divas protested the climate vulture convention, as more than 90 private jets carried celebs in attendance. Literally boooooo, you’re all on my list.
The Bear Season 4 felt like if The Bear Season 3 had a very sorry cousin. Carmy’s apology tour lasted the whole season, which was nice, he defs needed to stop being the worst because it was getting unbearable. Syd was iconic. Richie was lovely. Luca returned, and was also lovely. Nobody kissed. I’m gonna need someone to kiss really, really fkn soon.
Harry Styles tried to parallel park a fan’s car in Italy and couldn’t do it which is super embarrassing for him and hilarious, but not unexpected considering it’s in the ancient scrolls that he’s a terrible driver. Idk what he was thinking, actually.
It’s a very Italian radar this week, you’re all welcome. Mangia.
aux
songs to add to your playlist rn:
Talecia rec! flowerovlove keeping everybody warm this winter with summery pop ear-worms. FFO Sabby C and knowing what u want !!
One of THE most exciting young talents in aus!! Healing to hear the next generation of songwriters openly explore their queer identity <3 read our interview from last year!
Tasman Keith’s message, craft and impact gets sharper and sharper with every release. He delivers a thought-provoking pov as he reflects on his young adulthood and that of his father and uncle on the introspective cut.
(Save this playlist btw, updating every week!!)
28 Years Later (2025) I Directed by Danny Boyle, the icon behind the OG 28 Days Later, so enough said I fear.
TLDW: When I say I hate scary movies, I’m not talking about this absolute masterpiece. I was beyond excited when I heard this film was coming out bc the OG has a special place in my heart, let alone the loml ATJ being part of the cast??? (Yes, I got to speak to him and Alfie hehe, shameless plug x.) And guys, I was NOT disappointed. I won’t say too much, but this movie had me at the edge of my seat for about 90 percent of it, and that’s rare asf. I can confirm, however, that I never, EVER want to face the Alpha variant irl.
Back to the Future (1985) I Directed by Robert Zemeckis, whose repertoire consists of films that shaped my entire childhood: Forrest Gump, The Witches, Monster House AND Death Becomes Her??
TLDW: I rewatched this on my flight to Thailand and I’m SO glad because I’d genuinely forgotten the serotonin boost it gives me. The dynamic between Marty and Doc is so chaotic and wholesome, the vibes are giving goofy, and it’s such a lighthearted watch. 12/10! Sucks that I couldn't binge watch the entire series, though. (Jetstar, pls add the rest??)
Wicked (2024) I Directed by Jon M Chu, who’s been bringing movie magic to my screen for years with masterpieces like Step Up 2: The Streets, Crazy Rich Asians, and Now You See Me 2.
TLDW: Before you come for me, I am well aware that I’m late to the trend. But I did see that it was added to Netflix a day or so ago, so I figured there’s no time like the present. Me and Boq? More like me and miss Elphaba 🤞 I’ll admit I was skeptical bc the musical is one of my fave theatre productions ever, but I was wrong. This is genuinely a masterpiece. Everyone involved in bringing this to life is so insanely talented and, like everyone else, I am now fiending for the sequel.
(More faves on our letterboxd if you wanna follow us there)
Junkee Media acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where this newsletter was produced, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
https://thelastchord.substack.com/p/review-lordes-virgin