Before Lorde was Lorde, she was in a band called And They Were Masked. Her sonic aesthetic wasn't dramatically different then, still conjuring up associations with St. Vincent, Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey, whom the band lists as an influence on its Facebook page. (Other influences include Soundgarden, Bloc Party, The Mars Volta and Massive Attack.)
And They Were Masked's album, "Characters," is now available for streaming via the group's Bandcamp page. It hails from an era when Lorde still went by Ella Yelich O'Conner (aka 2011-2012), before she declared she'd never be royal. We've embedded one of the standout tracks, "Piece of Mind," below. Use the arrows to scroll through the entire album.
Advertisement