Photo by Talia Chetrit

“An ode to city life and horniness tbh.” That’s how Lorde bluntly puts “Hammer”, the final advance single and opening track of her awaited new album, Virgin. At the current time of typing this, there’s currently 90° of mercury rising in New York City, the current home of the New Zealand experimental pop empath, and with all of that heated pavement from living in a walkable community, the buzzing energy of its people, and summertime sunlight bumping those mood-regulating neurotransmitters up several notches, you can only imagine how the latter hits even harder — like the titular tool itself — if you were to run it through your headphones on a day light today.

Gripping the liquid crystal during her walk over to Canal Street, she’s pondering the heavy of everything: its affects on distinguishing the difference between love and ovulatory lust, gender fluidity, and living in a fucked-up world. Producer Jim-E Stacks’ complimentary pulse rush of club lights turn on the electricity wherever your head takes you through the streets. “I might have been born again / I’m ready to feel like I don’t have the answers,” she ultimately resolves. “There’s peace in the madness over our heads / Let it carry me on.” It’s a release, for sure, all between getting your aura read and ears pierced.

Directed by: Renell Medrano

Lorde’s Virgin will be released June 27th on Republic Records.