"Buzzcut Season" is the second promotional single and the fifth track by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, from her debut studio album, Pure Heroine. It was released on September 27, 2013, through Universal Music New Zealand, Lava Records, and Republic Records.
Upon its release, "Buzzcut Season" was met with positive reviews from music critics, who praised its production and Lorde's vocal delivery on the track. The song reached number twenty-nine on the US Billboard Hot Rock Songs and number thirty-eight on the ARIA Streaming Tracks. Lorde performed "Buzzcut Season" during a number of shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman.
Background[]
"Buzzcut Season" was written by Lorde (credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) and Joel Little, and was produced and mixed by Little. Similar to other songs from the album Pure Heroine,[1] "Buzzcut Season" was recorded at Golden Age Studios in Auckland. On September 23, 2013, the track was released as a digital download promotional single on iTunes Stores by Universal Music New Zealand.[2]
Composition and writing[]
"Buzzcut Season" draws inspirations from tropical music, and features "light percussive snaps" and "trickling xylophone" instrumentation. Lyrically, the song talks about the "ridiculousness of modern life." Sammy Maine from the website Drowned in Sound commented that the song was a "heartbreaking comment on our war-driven way of life." She pointed out the lyrics "Explosions on TV and all the girls with heads inside a dream" against M.I.A.'s pop-reggae musical style. Gaby Whitehill from Gigwise website called the song a "melancholy affair" and praised the "epic piano laden beat combined with the 16-year-old's haunting vocals."[3]
Critical reception[]
Jason Lipshutz from Billboard praised the song's production and Lorde's vocal delivery. Writer Michelle Pitiris for Australian magazine Vulture chose "Buzzcut Season" as a highlight from Pure Heroine and compared its sound to Air. Idolator editor Mike Wass labelled it "another twinkling postcard from the streets of Auckland" but felt that it failed to "capture the attention" like "400 Lux" or "Tennis Court", two other songs from the album.[4]
Chart performance[]
"Buzzcut Season" spent five weeks on the Australian ARIA Streaming Tracks chart, peaking at number thirty-eight.[5] It also reached number 29 on the US Hot Rock Songs. In New Zealand, "Buzzcut Season" peaked at number 18 on the New Zealand National Singles chart, which lists the best-performing singles by New Zealand artists in the country.[6]
Live performances[]
On October 3, 2013, the singer held a concert at the Warsaw Venue in Brooklyn and performed the song among other tracks from the album.[7] On October 12, 2013, Lorde performed "Buzzcut Season" in Studio Q of CBC. On November 13, 2013, Lorde performed several songs from Pure Heroine during the Late Show with David Letterman to promote the album, including "Buzzcut Season". According to Rolling Stone, the "sparkly-dressed" and "big-haired" singer performed only backed by a drummer and a keyboard player.[8]
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I remember when your head caught flame
It kissed your scalp and caressed your brain
(I remember when your head caught flame)
Well, you laughed, baby, it's okay
It's buzzcut season, anyway
(Well, you laughed, baby, it's okay)
[Pre-Chorus]
Explosions on TV
And all the girls with heads inside a dream
So now we live beside the pool
Where everything is good
[Verse 2]
We ride the bus with the knees pulled in
People should see how we're living
(We ride the bus with the knees pulled in)
Shut my eyes to the song that plays
Sometimes this has a hot, sweet taste
(Shut my eyes to the song that plays)
[Pre-Chorus]
The men up on the news
They try to tell us all that we will lose
But it's so easy in this blue
Where everything is good
[Chorus]
And I'll never go home again
(Place the call, feel it start)
Favourite friend
(And nothing's wrong when nothing's true)
I live in a hologram with you
We're all the things that we do for fun
(And I'll breathe, and it goes)
Play along
(Make-believe it's hyper real)
But I live in a hologram with you
[Bridge]
Cola with the burnt-out taste
I'm the one you tell your fears to
There'll never be enough of us
[Pre-Chorus]
Explosions on TV
And all the girls with heads inside a dream
So now we live beside the pool
Where everything is good
[Chorus]
And I'll never go home again
(Place the call, feel it start)
Favourite friend
(And nothing's wrong when nothing's true)
I live in a hologram with you
We're all the things that we do for fun
(And I'll breathe, and it goes)
Play along
(Make-believe it's hyper real)
But I live in a hologram with you
In popular culture[]
Singers Troye Sivan and Lauv reference the title of the song on their track "I'm So Tired..." (2019).[9] Sivan stated in an interview with Paper that he and Lauv decided to include "Buzzcut Season" into the song's lyrics after having a discussion in his backyard about melancholic songs that uplifted the pair's emotions.[10]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11126667
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131009010116/https://itunes.apple.com/sg/album/buzzcut-season-single/id710452539
- ↑ https://www.gigwise.com/photos/84536/listen-lorde-new-track-buzzcut-season-from-pure-heroine
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140331190313/http://www.idolator.com/7486757/lordes-pure-heroine-album-review
- ↑ https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20131123130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20131124-0000/Issue%201236.pdf
- ↑ https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/aotearoa-singles/2013-10-04
- ↑ https://www.complex.com/music/a/foster-kamer/lorde-concert-review-brooklyn-warsaw
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140106185630/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/lorde-is-blissful-during-six-song-live-on-letterman-set-20131113
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-lauv-troye-sivan-lorde-coldplay-referencing-collaboration-im-so-tired-2438021
- ↑ https://www.papermag.com/troye-sivan-lauv-interview#rebelltitem20
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