NEW YORK (AP) — Fans of New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde have long admired her for crafting emotionally resonant pop music. Her songs, to many, feel like expressions of liberation. On her latest album, it seems as though Lorde herself is embracing that feeling.

Her fourth studio release, titled “Virgin,” marks her first in four years. This time, Lorde — born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor — strips away the polish, leaving pop songs that feel unguarded and intensely personal.

Lorde burst onto the scene with the breakout hit “Royals,” offering a sharp look at celebrity and consumerism through a minimalistic style. Her haunting vocal delivery and forward-thinking production signaled the arrival of a unique voice. With 2013’s “Pure Heroine” and the following 2017 release, “Melodrama,” she showcased a depth and creativity that set her apart from her peers.

She stepped away from the center of attention after 2021’s “Solar Power,” a mellow, sun-soaked project, and gradually removed herself from public view. It appeared she was searching for something closer to the core of her artistry. According to a later profile in “Rolling Stone,” she was processing the end of a long relationship, navigating anxiety, and experiencing psychedelic-assisted therapy to reconcile her emotional health. “Virgin” emerged from this period of introspection.

Sonically, “Virgin” bridges the experimental intensity of “Melodrama” with a fresh clarity. The lead single, the electro-tinged “What Was That,” nods to her past sound but feels newly refined. On “Hammer,” with its complex rhythms, Lorde displays artistic growth and flexibility. In a telling line, she sings, “Some days I’m a woman / Some days I’m a man.”

The standout track “Shapeshifter” blends acoustic and synthetic textures, a sound that continues through “Man of the Year,” which features bass and cello by her frequent collaborator Dev Hynes.

Lorde also joins forces with new producers Jim-E Stack (who has worked with Bon Iver and Danielle Haim) and Daniel Nigro (known for his collaborations with Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan), contributing to the album’s innovative sound.

Thematically, “Virgin” finds Lorde at her boldest, exploring concepts of gender identity (“Favourite Daughter”) and sexual liberation (“Current Affairs”). The latter includes lyrics that may shock longtime fans, such as the unflinching “You tasted my underwear,” paired with a sample from the dancehall track “Morning Love” by Dexta Daps.

Known for physically expressive music, Lorde brings an even more corporeal quality to “Virgin.” One example is “Clearblue,” the briefest track on the album, delivering raw vocals in vocoder-tinged a cappella. Its title references a well-known pregnancy test brand, fitting into a broader theme of fertility that appears throughout the record — even the cover features an X-ray of Lorde’s pelvis clad in jeans, visibly showing an intrauterine device.

This iteration of Lorde is more open, confident, and unafraid to embrace her imperfections. While “Virgin” is deeply personal, it still taps into the genre-bending flair that has always defined her work. The result is a fearless blend of experimentation and pop appeal — a testament to an artist fully embracing her evolution.