Supercut (song)

In an interview with The Spinoff, Lorde recalled leaving a party late at night and driving around Ponsonby Road in Auckland in a taxi listening to Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland.[1] While driving, she heard music playing from nearby bars. Lorde wanted to feel as if one was "dancing through the walls of a party".[1] The singer wrote the track with this concept in mind when she arrived to the United States.[1] After recording "Supercut", she would play it as she left The Spotted Pig, a gastro pub in the West Village area of Lower Manhattan, after midnight.[1] Despite not being credited as a recording location on the song's liner notes, the singer recorded the track at Jungle City. During takes, Lorde placed a microphone in the corner of the studio, stood 3 m (10 ft) away from it, and recorded her verses.[1] She compared the end result to an answering machine or voice note. The pair constructed most of the track using drums and then "filled in the blanks" with a piano. Lorde called "Supercut" a "sister song" to "Ribs" from her 2013 debut album Pure Heroine.[1]

Jack Antonoff (pictured in 2012) co-wrote and co-produced "Supercut".

Lorde recorded "Supercut" in three locations around the United States. She began recording at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, New York City, with assistance from Barry McCready and Jack Antonoff. Antonoff also worked with Lorde at Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Recording concluded at Weslake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with assistance from Ben Sedano and Greg Eliason. Serban Ghenea mixed the song at MixStar Studios with assistance from engineer John Hanes. The track was mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in New York. Other personnel include Joel Little, as well as Frank Dukes, Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Malay, who provided additional production to the song.[2]

"Supercut" is composed in the key of C Major with a tempo of 124 beats per minute. Lorde's vocals span a range of A₃ to E₅ and its chord progression follows a basic sequence of C–F^sus2–Am-F.[3] It is a synth-pop and electropop song,[4] which has influences of other genres such as dance,[5] electro house,[6] electronica,[7] and new wave music.[8] The track's lyrics recall Lorde's highlights from a previous relationship.[9] "Supercut" features an interpolation of the piano melody from her 2017 single, "Green Light".[10] According to Ava Muir of Exclaim, the track is driven by a "hauntingly infectious pulse".[11] In an analysis of the album, Lindsay Zoladz from The Ringer said the song is associated in popular culture with the "relationship’s 'perfect' moments captured in cropped, filtered Instagrams that we flick through after they [are] over".[12]

"Supercut" received critical acclaim from music critics, with many calling it a stand-out track on Melodrama.[13] The track received comparisons to the works of American musician Bruce Springsteen and Swedish singer Robyn.[14][4] Mike Neid from Idolator wrote that the track delivered "one of the most gracefully crafted lyrics on the album", and called it a "joyful release that offers a sliver of hope for new beginnings".[15] Writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor praised the song's unusual "quirks" in its production, which help "expose the inner workings of her music". O'Connor also said Lorde "respects pop for what it is and what it is capable of".[16] Chris Willman of Variety called it the album's "mini masterpiece".[10]

The track appeared in several music critics' year-end lists. Stereogum placed the song at number two on their year-end list, calling the lyrics "genius, the music a propulsive mirage" and the overall effect "overwhelming and tingly".[17] Lindsay Zoladz from The Ringer also placed the song at number two on her list, describing it as "a precise distillation of the ways the internet shapes and warps how we experience life".[18] NME included "Supercut" at number 29 on their year-end list,[19] while Vulture ranked it at number four on their year-end list. Dee Lockett from the publication stated that the track was a "misshapen puzzle whose beauty is greater for its flaws."[20] Andy Baio, the person who coined "the term", praised Lorde for using it in her song.[21] "Supercut" was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for exceeding 35,000 shipments.[22]

Norwegian pop punk quartet Sløtface (pictured) performed a rendition of "Supercut" on radio station Triple J

Lorde first performed "Supercut", along with two other tracks, at the Bowery Auditorium in New York City on the night of the singer's Melodrama album release party.[23] She also performed the track on 1Live, which was described as "breathtaking" and emotional.[24] "Supercut" was one of six songs Lorde performed as part of a re-imagined Vevo series at the Electric Lady Studios where she recorded most of her album.[25] For the Melodrama World Tour (2017–18), Lorde performed "Supercut" after her last costume change and a video interlude.[26] It was the first track she performed from the prelude of the show's third and final segment, which was composed of five songs.[27]

Norwegian pop punk band Sløtface covered the song at Australian radio station Triple J; Consequence of Sound described the cover as "cleaned up from the dance floor while forfeiting none of its emotional core". Sløtface's cover replaces the electronics of the production with a "reverberating guitar".[28] Lorde responded to the group's cover, calling it "rad".[29] It was included in the official soundtrack for the video game FIFA 18; NME described the track as "the one" and called it one of the soundtrack's "killer tunes".[30] The song was also featured in the soundtrack for the 2019 Netflix film Someone Great; director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that "Supercut" was a source of inspiration while developing the film's screenplay. As a result, she wrote the song into the film's script before "any of the people in the movie existed".[31]

"Supercut (El-P Remix)"
Remix by Lorde and El-P from Run the Jewels
Released	28 February 2018
Genre	Trip hop
Length	3:36
Label	Universal
Songwriter(s)	Yelich-O'Connor Antonoff Michael Render Jaime Meline
Producer(s)	El-P

Lorde posted a tweet on 27 February 2018 that a "small surprise" would be sent to fans who subscribed to her newsletter. The following day, a remix of the song titled "Supercut (El-P Remix)", produced by El-P of the hip hop group Run the Jewels, was released via email. Talking about the remix, Lorde said, "I love it. So much. My little nerd heart is full."[32] Initially made available for free download to commemorate the arrival of her North American tour,[33] the remix was released to streaming services worldwide on 9 March 2018.[34]

"Supercut (El-P Remix)" was described as a trip hop track[35] with bass and synthesiser production.[36] The remix features vocals from Lorde and rap verses from Killer Mike and El-P that deliver observations on society and the portrayal of enemies.[37] It received positive reviews from music critics, with some praising the duo for adding a darker melody to the original upbeat composition.[38] Stereogum writer Claymore Tully noted that the remix's slower tempo turned the "fairly upbeat, dance-ready track" into a "sludgy slow-burner".[39] Eric Skelton of Pigeons and Planes lauded Mike and El-P's "high-energy" verses, stating that the remix "was made with large arenas in mind."[33] It charted at number nine on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart.[40]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Melodrama.[41]

Recording and management

• Published by Songs Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, and Ducky Donath Music (BMI)
• Recorded at Electric Lady Studios (New York, New York), Rough Customer Studio (Brooklyn Heights, New York), and Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)
• Mixed at Mixstar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios (New York City)

Personnel