It looks like Lorde‘s special ‘Virgin’ CDs aren’t working, according to fans.
To accompany her celebrated new album, ‘Virgin’, Lorde sold now sold-out run of the album on clear plastic CD format in line with her vision for “transparency”. They’re also made from recyclable materials. It’s also the only CD option available for the album.
However, fans who’ve gotten their hands on the clear plastic CDs are now taking to social media to share that the CDs don’t actually work on most CD players. In a sting of TikTok videos, fans have uploaded clips of them slotting the CDs into their players, only for the player to read “no disc”.
On fan wrote in their TikTok caption: “seems like they didn’t account for this (: my new lorde transparent CD doesn’t work in this stereo! seems like older models with older sensors won’t play it. pretty disappointing, i know it was for an aesthetic but at least press it on normal CDs too :/”
@silentchaoticsxo seems like they didn’t account for this (: my new lorde transparent CD doesn’t work in this stereo! seems like older models with older sensors won’t play it. pretty disappointing, i know it was for an aesthetic but at least press it on normal CDs too :/ #lorde #music #cd
Another detailed their own experiences, saying in a video: “Whoever decided to design this is an idiot because it’s a clear CD. Do you know what that means? Cars can’t read this CD, Walkmans can’t read this CD. And the worst part is, this is the only version of the CD that Lorde is offering – so I just have to go and return it and get my money back and not actively support her music because the team can’t make a functioning CD for aesthetics.”
“Can you like, fix this, and do a CD that’s not completely redundant for older tech? CDs are for older tech, CDs aren’t a new thing.”
@elyxirtalkssmack yeah so the Lorde CD doesn’t work on CD players, particularly car ones and walkmans because the design ain’t fit for purpose and Lorde doesn’t offer any other CD options. So back to JB Hi Fi I’ll have to go for a refund. @LordFoxPuppy any way we can get a not clear disc, or do we have permission to burn it onto a disc we can actually read. #lorde #cd #cdplayer #music
Reddit users have spoken out about their CD troubles as well. One Reddit user wrote: “Tried to put the disc into my car CD player and usually when a CD is put up to it, it just pulls the CD in. But this CD wasn’t even registering so I can’t even get it inside the CD player… Immediately tried a different CD to see if it was the player but it took the other CD and started playing so it’s definitely the disc.”
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One fan has seemingly cracked the code though. They shared that they’ve already reached out to Universal Music on the matter, but says the CD works with newer and more expensive CD players. They mentioned that they’ve been told to try putting a CD sticker over it but ultimately feels “if I buy something, I want it to work. I don’t want to have to change it myself. I just feel missold.”
@silentchaoticsxo Replying to @autumn
FOLLOW UP VIDEO also 100k views what on earth LMAO #music #cd #lorde
Neither Lorde nor her team have addressed the matter yet, and fans have not yet heard back about refunds.
Despite the CD issue, fans are still loving the album – it received a four-star review from Alex Rigotti for NME: “Ultimately, ‘Virgin’ is a vibrant combination of Lorde’s best qualities, and then some. With her newfound candour, the record combines the emotional whirlwind of ‘Melodrama’, the chilling minimalism of ‘Pure Heroine’ and the breezy freedom of ‘Solar Power’. This might be called ‘Virgin’, but Lorde proves she’s not afraid to strip herself bare.”
On the day of the record’s launch (June 27), Lorde played a surprise set at Glastonbury, where she performed ‘Virgin’ in full. In a glowing five-star review of the performance, NME‘s Rhian Daly wrote: “With ‘Virgin’ out today, it’s the perfect time to play it in full – which is exactly what she does, something she suggests at one point could be a “one of one” occurrence. It’s also a brave choice given most people present won’t have had the chance to listen to the record while in the fields of Worthy Farm yet, but it’s a testament to the music that the crowd stays rapt throughout.”
Since the album’s release, Lorde has teased that some ‘Virgin‘ b-sides may be on the way. Taking to social media on June 30, she revealed that one of her favourite songs didn’t make the final track list, writing that she cut it “last minute because I thought it diluted the vision.”
She added that it was one of her “absolute favs” that she wrote with songwriter Fabiana Palladino, who also worked on ‘Current Affairs’ and ‘If She Could See Me Now’. As it turns out, it’s not the only unreleased song, with the singer adding: “Couple really good B sides knocking around actually.”
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