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If A New Lorde Song Comes Out And You Don't Hear It, Is It Still The Weekend?

Lorde's long-awaited second album, Melodrama, isn't out until June 16, but she's already released four songs to tide fans over: "Green Light," "Liability," "Perfect Places" and now "Sober," an stormy epic about risk and regret that's timed perfectly to coincide with the start of an eventful weekend.

"These are the games of the weekend," Lorde seethes, setting the stage for blurred boundaries and an eventual reckoning. The song's central conflict boils down to uncertain consequences — "What will we do when we're sober?" — but "Sober" wouldn't be a summer jam if it didn't advocate throwing caution to the wind just a little bit.

Melodrama comes out June 16 via LAVA/Republic.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.