Buzzcut Season

## Audio

"**Buzzcut Season**" is the second promotional single from New Zealand singer Lorde. It was included on her debut album *Pure Heroine*.

## 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*, "Buzzcut Season" was recorded at Golden Age Studios in Auckland. On 23 September 2013, the track was released as a digital download promotional single on iTunes Stores by Universal Music New Zealand.

### 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."

## Reception

### 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.

### Chart Performance

"Buzzcut Season" spent five weeks on the Australian ARIA Streaming Tracks chart, peaking at number thirty-eight. 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.

## Lyrics

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)

Explosions on T.V

And all the girls with heads inside a dream

So now we live beside the pool

Where everything is good

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)

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

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

Cola with the burnt-out taste

I'm the one you tell your fears to

There'll never be enough of us

Explosions on TV

And all the girls with heads inside a dream

So now we live beside the pool

Where everything is good

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

## 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. On 12 October 2013, Lorde performed "Buzzcut Season" in Studio Q of CBC. 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". According to *Rolling Stone*, the "sparkly-dressed" and "big-haired" singer performed only backed by a drummer and a keyboard player.