The album is about a "grapple with loneliness" in the aftermath of a break-up, according to the New York Times. In the article, Lorde mentions that "Melodrama wasn't a 'breakup album" and stated that "it's a record about being alone. The good parts and the bad parts, dealing with themes of heartbreak and solitude". Lorde composed the songs on Melodrama in New Zealand. She described the album as addressing themes of heartbreak, solitude and loneliness, and also as a concept album, telling the story of a single house party. According to the New York Times article, the singer has a "neurological condition known as sound-to-color synesthesia", and devised color codes to each song.
1) Green Light 3:54
2) Sober 3:17
3) Homemade Dynamite 3:09
4) The Louvre 4:31
5) Liability 2:52
6) Hard Feelings/Loveless 6:07
7) Sober II (Melodrama) 2:58
8) Writer in the Dark 3:36
9) Supercut 4:37
10) Liability (Reprise) 2:16
11) Perfect Places 3:41