Today is Lorde’s 18th birthday. She was born on November 7, 1996. Here’s a list of some great albums that were released that year:

• Beck – Odelay
• Cake – Fashion Nugget
• Eels – Beautiful Freak
• Tool – Ænima

All four of those records were lauded for their originality and uniqueness. They have endured the test of time based on the strength of the songwriting involved. But to some, the calling card is the singer. Beck’s word-salad approach has been imitated, but never duplicated. Same goes for Cake vocalist John McCrea’s unmistakeable deadpan, Eels frontman E’s signature rasp and Maynard James Keenan of Tool’s calculated fury.

On “Pure Heroine”, Lorde puts her vocals front and centre. The entire record is carried by her distinct singing. The sparse, yet atmospheric arrangements compliment her voice. The songs are built entirely on vocal hooks. I found the whole thing to go down very easily, which I suppose is the point of pop music.

Her big hit “Royals” (you know, the one with the huge high notes in the chorus that are oh-so-fun to sing along to) hasn’t been worn out yet, which is surprising considering how omnipresent it’s been.

From what I’ve read about Lorde, she seems to be mature beyond her years. Life is unpredictable so who knows where she’ll be 18 years from now, but if we’re lucky she’ll still be putting out memorable records like “Pure Heroine”.