John is joined by Lorde and producer Jim-E Stack to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Virgin’.

Lorde, is a singer-songwriter and producer from New Zealand who rose to fame in 2013 with the Grammy winning global hit track ‘Royals’. Her albums 2013’s ‘Pure Heroine’, 2017’s ‘Melodrama’, and 2012's ‘Solar Power’ all showcase her sharp, raw lyrics and sophisticated production . In June 2025, after collaborations with artists including Charli XCX, Lorde released ‘Virgin’. Produced by Jim-E Stack, the record reveals a bold new sound and explores themes of self-discovery and identity.

In this episode, the pair discuss the subtle changes made in the development of each track. As well as sharing numerous voice notes and demos, they talk through how the lyrics and production informed each other, the importance of muting and stripping songs back, with deep rooted percussion at the music’s core.

Tracks discussed: Favourite Daughter, GRWN, Shapeshifter

TAPE IT

Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.

Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.

LANDR

Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes

MUSIVERSAL

Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE

LISTEN to ‘Virgin’ here - https://lynkify.in/album/virgin/wuWmkwlQ

‘Universal Music’

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

linktr.ee/tapenotes

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI

GEAR MENTIONS

Soundtoys Decapiator

Soundtoys Devil-Loc

Soundtoys FilterFreak

Thermionic Culture Vulture

Teenage Engineering OP-1

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.

KEEP UP TO DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on:

Instagram: @tapenotes

Twitter: @tapenotes

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

Patreon: Tape Notes

To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear!

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

1222: The Death of “Pretty Boy” Floyd

History Daily

The Kansas City Massacre and Frank Nash

The AI-powered Podcast Player