If you were online in late 2025, you probably saw the chaos. One minute everyone’s talking about the return of the "Pure Heroine" vibes, and the next, your Twitter feed is full of X-rays and medical-grade birth control. Lorde doesn’t just release music; she releases artifacts. But with the Lorde Virgin vinyl, she took the idea of "opening up" to a level that honestly made some people reach for their pearls.
The fourth studio album, Virgin, dropped in June 2025. It wasn't just a sonic pivot away from the sun-drenched, polarizing indie-folk of Solar Power. It was a physical statement. While her previous era was all about "discless" music boxes and saving the planet, this record leaned into the heavy, tactile, and occasionally NSFW reality of being a body in the world.
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What Is Actually Inside the Lorde Virgin Vinyl?
When you peel back the shrink wrap on a copy of Virgin, you aren't just getting a slab of wax. You’re getting a medical record. Or at least, that’s what it feels like. The Lorde Virgin vinyl comes packed with inserts that caused an immediate firestorm on social media.
The main event? An 8-page full-color booklet.
Now, usually, these booklets are just glossy photos of the artist looking moody in a field. Not this time. Lorde and her creative director, Thistle Brown, filled this one with what the labels called "explicit visual content." We’re talking about an X-ray of the singer’s own pelvis. You can see the bones. You can see the zipper of her jeans. Most notably, you can see her IUD.
It’s raw. It’s clinical. It’s very Lorde.
The "inside" of this release refers to several specific components:
- The Metallic Silver Inner Sleeve: A sharp, reflective contrast to the organic themes of the lyrics.
- The 8-Page Booklet: Contains those "adult images" that triggered a Parental Advisory warning specifically for the vinyl packaging, not just the lyrics.
- The Variations: Depending on which version you snagged, the "inside" looks different. The "Bathwater" translucent green variant feels murky and swampy, while the "Blood" red indie exclusive is strikingly vibrant.
The X-Ray Controversy: Art or TMI?
The internet had a meltdown over the pelvic X-ray. Some fans called her the "Contraceptive Queen," celebrating the normalization of reproductive health in pop art. Others found it a bit much. Honestly, it’s meant to be jarring.
The album explores themes of "young blood to get on tape," particularly in the closing track "David." By putting her internal anatomy on the cover and inside the gatefold, Lorde is basically saying, "You wanted all of me? Here it is. Down to the literal hardware."
It’s a massive departure from the Solar Power era. Back then, she refused to even make CDs because she didn’t want them ending up in a landfill. But for Virgin, she went all in on physical media. We saw picture discs, gatefold LPs, and a "Full Transparency" edition. Some critics pointed out the irony—she went from environmentalist to the queen of multiple vinyl variants.
A Breakdown of the Virgin Vinyl Editions
If you’re trying to track one of these down now, you have to know which "inside" you’re looking for. The standard black vinyl is classic, sure, but the collectors are hunting for the more obscure pressings.
The Gatefold Picture Disc
This is the "deluxe" version in everything but name. It’s the only one that features the X-ray directly on the disc itself. If you put this on a turntable, you’re watching a pelvic scan spin at 33 RPM. It’s weird. It’s cool. It’s also the most expensive version on the secondary market.
The "Bathwater" and "Blood" Variants
The "Bathwater" green was a Universal Music store exclusive, while the "Blood" red was sent to indie record shops. These didn't come with the signed art cards that some lucky pre-order fans got, but they include the same explicit booklet.
The Full Transparency Edition
Released slightly later, this one is a crystal-clear disc housed in a PVC jacket with a metallic silver screen print. It’s the "cleanest" looking version, but it still feels inherently tied to the album’s theme of being seen—literally.
Why This Vinyl Still Matters in 2026
We're currently in 2026, and the dust has mostly settled on the Virgin release. Looking back, the Lorde Virgin vinyl wasn't just about selling records; it was about reclaiming a narrative. After the "failed experiment" (her words, kinda) of the music box, Lorde realized that fans want something they can hold.
She gave them something they almost couldn't hold without feeling a little bit like they were invading her privacy.
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The music itself—co-produced by Jim-E Stack and featuring guys like Dev Hynes and Justin Vernon—is beat-driven and dark. It needs that heavy physical presence. When you hear the distorted bass on "Hammer" or the raw vulnerability of "Favourite Daughter," it makes sense that the packaging is just as intense.
Tips for Collectors and Owners
If you've managed to get your hands on a copy, or you're browsing eBay for one, keep a few things in mind about the quality.
- Check the Booklet: A lot of resellers are "parting out" the vinyl, selling the signed cards or the booklets separately. If you want the full experience, make sure that 8-page booklet is actually included.
- The "Made in Germany" Sticker: Most of the high-quality Pallas pressings have a small "Made in Germany" sticker on the back. These tend to have less surface noise than the standard runs.
- Storage: Because of the high-gloss gatefold and the metallic inner sleeves, these are prone to "seam splits" during shipping. If you're buying one, ask the seller to ship the record outside the jacket to prevent the edges from tearing.
- The Parental Advisory: Remember, this is one of the few mainstream pop records where the warning is as much about the photos as it is about the "f-bombs." Keep it on a high shelf if you have kids around.
The Lorde Virgin vinyl stands as a weird, beautiful, and slightly uncomfortable moment in pop history. It proved that in an era of streaming, you can still make people stop and stare at a physical object. Whether you think the pelvic X-ray is genius or gross, you can't deny that it got everyone talking.
To get the most out of your collection, start by verifying the UPC on your copy—602478121234 is the red indie version, while 602478121180 is the "Bathwater" green. Keep the metallic sleeve away from direct sunlight to prevent fading, and always handle the picture disc by the edges to preserve the X-ray artwork. Check local independent record stores for the remaining stock of the "Blood" red variant, as these are increasingly becoming the most sought-after non-signed editions due to their limited production run.