Buzzcut Season

"Buzzcut Season"
Promotional single by Lorde from the album Pure Heroine
Released 23 September 2013
Format Digital download
Recorded Golden Age Studios (Auckland)
Length 4:06
Label UMG
Writer
Producer
  • Joel Little
  • Ella Yelich-O'Connor

"Buzzcut Season" is a song by New Zealand recording artist Lorde, taken from her debut studio album, Pure Heroine (2013). It was released on 23 September 2013 by Universal Music Group (UMG) as a promotional single from the album. Written by Lorde and Joel Little, "Buzzcut Season" features elements from tropical music and discusses the "ridiculousness of modern life."[1]

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.[2] Similar to other songs from the album Pure Heroine, "Buzzcut Season" was recorded at Golden Age Studios in Auckland.[2][3] On 23 September 2013, the track was released as a digital download promotional single on iTunes Stores by Universal Music New Zealand.[4]

Composition

"Buzzcut Season"
A 24-second sample of "Buzzcut Season", featuring xylophone instrumentation
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Buzzcut Season" draws inspirations from tropical music,[5] and features "light percussive snaps" and "trickling xylophone" instrumentation.[5] Lyrically, the song talks about the "ridiculousness of modern life."[1] Sammy Maine from the website Drowned in Sound commented that the song was a "heartbreaking comment on our war-driven way of life."[6] 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.[6] 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."[7]

Reception

Jason Lipshutz from Billboard praised the song's production and Lorde's vocal delivery.[8] Writer Michelle Pitiris for Australian magazine Vulture chose "Buzzcut Season" as a highlight from Pure Heroine and compared its sound to Air.[9] 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.[10] "Buzzcut Season" spent five weeks on the Australian ARIA Streaming Tracks chart, peaking at number thirty-eight.[11] It also reached number 29 on the US Hot Rock Songs.[12] 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.[13]

Live performances

On 3 October 2013, the singer held a concert at the Warsaw Venue in Brooklyn and performed the song among other tracks from the album.[14] On 12 October 2013, Lorde performed "Buzzcut Season" in Studio Q of CBC.[15] On 13 November 2013, Lorde performed several songs from Pure Heroine during the Late Show with David Letterman to promote the album, including "Buzzcut Season".[16] According to Rolling Stone, the "sparkly-dressed" and "big-haired" singer performed only backed by a drummer and a keyboard player.[17]

Track listing

Digital download[4]
  1. "Buzzcut Season" – 4:06

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Streaming Tracks (ARIA)[11] 38
New Zealand National Singles (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 18
UK Streaming (Official Streaming Chart)[18] 72
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[12] 29

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[19] 93

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Farrier, David (2013-09-27). "Pure Heroine: Track-by-track Review". 3News. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pure Heroine (inlay cover). Lorde. Universal Music Group. 2013.
  3. ↑ Jenkin, Lydia (2013-09-19). "Joel Little: Doing the Lorde's work". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Buzzcut Season – Single". Singapore: iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cospey, Robert (2013-10-22). "Lorde: 'Pure Heroine' album review: 'A startlingly confident debut'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Maine, Sammy (2013-10-24). "Album Review: Lorde – Pure Heroine". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  7. ↑ Whitehill, Gaby (2013-09-27). "Lorde new track 'Buzzcut Season' from Pure Heroine". Gigwise. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  8. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason. "Lorde: 'Pure Heroine' Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  9. ↑ Pitiris, Michelle (2013-10-01). "Album Review: Lorde – 'Pure Heroine'". Vulture Australia. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  10. ↑ Wass, Mike (2013-09-30). "Lorde’s ‘Pure Heroine’: Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "The ARIA Report" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Lorde: Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Top 20 New Zealand Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  14. ↑ Kamer, Foster (2013-10-04). "Live Review: Lorde Brings Brooklyn More Than a Chart-Topper". Complex. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
  15. ↑ "Lorde performs "Buzzcut Season" in Studio Q". Canadian Broadcasting Company. 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  16. ↑ Weinstein, Max (2013-11-13). "Lorde Turns Heads With Her 'Letterman' Performance". Vibe. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
  17. ↑ Grow, Kory (2013-11-13). "Lorde Is Blissful During Six-Song 'Live on Letterman' Set". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  18. ↑ Lane, Daniel (2013-11-12). "Lorde knocks OneRepublic off the top of the Official Streaming Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  19. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.

External links