Wikipedia

Buzzcut Season

"Buzzcut Season"is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriterLorde,taken from her debut studio album,Pure Heroine(2013). It was released on 23 September 2013 byUniversal Music Group(UMG) as apromotional singlefrom the album. Written by Lorde andJoel Little,"Buzzcut Season" is anelectropopsong that features elements fromtropical musicand discusses the "ridiculousness of modern life."[1]

"Buzzcut Season"
Promotional singlebyLorde
from the albumPure Heroine
Released23 September 2013
RecordedGolden Age Studios(Auckland)
GenreElectropop
Length4:06
LabelUMG
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Joel Little
  • Ella Yelich-O'Connor
Audio video
"Buzzcut Season"onYouTube

Upon its release, "Buzzcut Season" was met with positive reviews frommusic critics,who praised its production and Lorde's vocal delivery on the track. The song reached number twenty-nine on the USBillboardHot Rock Songsand number thirty-eight on theARIA Streaming Tracks.Lorde performed "Buzzcut Season" during a number of shows, including theLate Show with David Letterman.

Background and composition

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"Buzzcut Season"
A 24-second sample of "Buzzcut Season", featuringxylophoneinstrumentation
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help.

"Buzzcut Season" was written by Lorde (credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) andJoel Little,and was produced and mixed by Little.[2]Similar to other songs from the albumPure Heroine,[3]"Buzzcut Season" was recorded at Golden Age Studios inAuckland.[2]On 23 September 2013, the track was released as adigital downloadpromotional singleoniTunes StoresbyUniversal Music New Zealand.[4]

"Buzzcut Season" is anelectropop[5]song that draws inspirations fromtropical music,[6]and featurespercussionsnaps andxylophonein its instrumentation.[6]Lyrically, the song talks about the "ridiculousness of modern life."[1]Sammy Maine from the websiteDrowned in Soundcommented that the song was a "heartbreaking comment on our war-driven way of life."[7]She pointed out the lyrics "Explosions on TV and all the girls with heads inside a dream" againstM.I.A.'spop-reggaemusical style.[7]Gaby Whitehill fromGigwisewebsite called the song a "melancholy affair" and praised the "epic piano laden beat combined with the 16-year-old's haunting vocals."[8]

Reception and promotion

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Jason Lipshutz fromBillboardpraised the song's production and Lorde's vocal delivery.[9]Writer Michelle Pitiris forVulturechose "Buzzcut Season" as a highlight fromPure Heroineand compared its sound to French electronic duoAir.[10]Idolatoreditor 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.[11]"Buzzcut Season" spent five weeks on the AustralianARIA Streaming Trackschart, peaking at number thirty-eight.[12]It also reached number 29 on the USHot Rock Songs.[13]In New Zealand, "Buzzcut Season" peaked at number 18 on theNew Zealand National Singleschart, which lists the best-performing singles by New Zealand artists in the country.[14]

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.[15]On 12 October 2013, Lorde performed "Buzzcut Season" in Studio Q ofCBC.[16]On 13 November 2013, Lorde performed several songs fromPure Heroineduring theLate Show with David Lettermanto promote the album, including "Buzzcut Season".[17]According toRolling Stone,the "sparkly-dressed" and "big-haired" singer performed only backed by a drummer and a keyboard player.[18]

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SingersTroye SivanandLauvreference the title of the song on their track "I'm So Tired..."(2019).[19]Sivan stated in an interview withPaperthat 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.[20]

Track listing

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

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[23] Gold 30,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^abFarrier, David (27 September 2013)."Pure Heroine: Track-by-track Review".3News.Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2013.Retrieved9 January2014.
  2. ^abPure Heroine(inlay cover). Lorde.Universal Music Group.2013.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^Jenkin, Lydia (19 September 2013)."Joel Little: Doing the Lorde's work".New Zealand Herald.Retrieved30 December2013.
  4. ^ab"Buzzcut Season – Single".Singapore: iTunes Store. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2013.Retrieved30 September2013.
  5. ^"Lorde, 'Pure Heroine': Track-By-Track Review".Billboard.Retrieved20 March2017.
  6. ^abCospey, Robert (22 October 2013)."Lorde: 'Pure Heroine' album review: 'A startlingly confident debut'".Digital Spy.Retrieved9 January2014.
  7. ^abMaine, Sammy (24 October 2013)."Album Review: Lorde – Pure Heroine".Drowned in Sound.Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2014.Retrieved9 January2014.
  8. ^Whitehill, Gaby (27 September 2013)."Lorde new track 'Buzzcut Season' from Pure Heroine".Gigwise.Retrieved9 January2014.
  9. ^Lipshutz, Jason."Lorde: 'Pure Heroine' Track-By-Track Review".Billboard.Retrieved9 January2014.
  10. ^Pitiris, Michelle (1 October 2013)."Album Review: Lorde – 'Pure Heroine'".Vulture Australia.Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2014.Retrieved9 January2014.
  11. ^Wass, Mike (30 September 2013)."Lorde's 'Pure Heroine': Album Review".Idolator.Archived fromthe originalon 31 March 2014.Retrieved9 January2014.
  12. ^ab"The ARIA Report"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.4 December 2013. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 November 2013.Retrieved9 January2014.
  13. ^ab"Lorde: Chart history".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon 30 June 2017.Retrieved9 January2014.
  14. ^ab"Top 20 New Zealand Singles Chart".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved13 January2014.
  15. ^Kamer, Foster (4 October 2013)."Live Review: Lorde Brings Brooklyn More Than a Chart-Topper".Complex.Retrieved2 January2014.
  16. ^"Lorde performs" Buzzcut Season "in Studio Q".Canadian Broadcasting Company.12 October 2013.Retrieved9 January2014.
  17. ^Weinstein, Max (13 November 2013)."Lorde Turns Heads With Her 'Letterman' Performance".Vibe.Retrieved2 January2014.
  18. ^Grow, Kory (13 November 2013)."Lorde Is Blissful During Six-Song 'Live on Letterman' Set".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2014.Retrieved9 January2014.
  19. ^Daly, Rhian (24 January 2019)."Listen to Lauv and Troye Sivan's Lorde and Coldplay-referencing collaboration 'I'm So Tired…'".NME.Retrieved19 May2019.
  20. ^Goldfine, Jael (7 February 2019)."Troye Sivan and Lauv on Their New Anti-Love Song".Paper.Retrieved19 May2019.
  21. ^Lane, Daniel (12 November 2013)."Lorde knocks OneRepublic off the top of the Official Streaming Chart".Official Charts Company.Retrieved12 January2014.
  22. ^"Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014".Billboard.Retrieved21 December2014.
  23. ^"Brazilian single certifications – Lorde – Buzzcut Season"(in Portuguese).Pro-Música Brasil.Retrieved2 July2024.
  24. ^"Canadian single certifications – Lorde – Buzzcut Season".Music Canada.Retrieved1 February2025.
  25. ^"British single certifications – Lorde – Buzzcut Season".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved7 June2024.
  26. ^"American single certifications – Lorde – Buzzcut Season".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved6 December2023.
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