As the Internet collectively scours, analyzes, and delights over Beyoncé’s surprise visual album, New Zealand wunderkind Lorde has released a new single called “No Better,” and it sounds like a contender for song of the summer (in the southern hemisphere). Lorde delivers rapid-fire, sing-songy descriptions of driving aimlessly, swimming, and forgetting all about school during the summer months.
She gets in a few of the jarring one-liners that have become her signature: “Your breath’s hot and gross but I kiss you like a lover,” “we’re getting dead and it’s the right way to do it.” It’s reminiscent of some of the best tracks on Pure Heroine, like “Buzzcut Season” and “White Teeth Teens,” but “No Better” is also lighter, simpler, and (in spite of some dark lyrics) more confectionary than most of her debut album. It’s enough to make us wish it were summer in the U.S., too.
