Everyone thought they knew what a Lorde album was supposed to sound like. It had to be either the minimalist, percussive pop of Pure Heroine or the grand, emotional maximalism of Melodrama. Then Solar Power happened, and the discourse shifted to whether she had lost her edge or just found a beach. But when 2025 rolled around, and the first notes of "What Was That" hit the internet, the conversation changed instantly. At the center of that shift was one name: Jim-E Stack.
Born James Harmon Stack, the San Francisco native isn't exactly a newcomer. He’s been the secret weapon for artists like Bon Iver, HAIM, and Caroline Polachek for years. But his work with Lorde on her fourth studio album, Virgin, represents something different. It isn’t just a collaboration; it is a total sonic recalibration.
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The Lorde and Jim-E Stack Creative Connection
How did a guy known for experimental electronic textures and gritty hip-hop beats end up as the primary architect for the most anticipated pop comeback of the decade? Honestly, it started with a bike.
During the Virgin press cycle, Lorde—or Ella, as her collaborators call her—talked about how she’d spent 2023 in London and New York, basically just trying to be a person again. She was swimming in ladies' ponds and biking for hours to stay connected to her body. She was looking for "just the right amount of dirt." She didn't want the polished, over-produced sheen that defines most of the Billboard Hot 100. She wanted music that felt like a real human being made it in a room, not a machine in a factory.
Jim-E Stack was the only person who really got that.
They met up in the States after her time in London and booked a week together. In that one week, they wrote "What Was That" and started "Shapeshifter." Jim-E doesn't do the whole "piling on layers" thing. His philosophy, as he told Universal Audio, is about "load-bearing pieces." If a sound doesn't need to be there to keep the song standing, he tosses it out.
What Really Happened with the Production of Virgin
If you listen closely to Virgin, you can hear Jim-E Stack's fingerprints everywhere. It’s in the "trashy" Moog basslines and the syncopated synths that feel like they're barely holding on. Most producers would have cleaned those up. Jim-E? He turned them up.
The lead single, "What Was That," is a perfect case study. It’s an electropop track that feels oddly nostalgic but looks forward. The drums were actually inspired by Radiohead’s "Reckoner"—that specific, clattering energy. You’ve got Jim-E playing the piano, drums, and synthesisers, while Dan Nigro (the guy who helped Olivia Rodrigo conquer the world) handled some of the bass and guitar work.
But it’s the "blank space" that makes the Jim-E Stack Lorde partnership so special.
- Vocal-First Mentality: They often used demo vocals recorded on a Shure SM7—a relatively cheap mic compared to the $10,000 monsters usually used in pop.
- The "Dirt" Factor: Lorde explicitly asked for a sound that felt "kind of trashy in a cool way but still really rich."
- Minimalist Rig: Jim-E is famous for saying you can make a masterpiece on a laptop with just a few plugins. He isn't a gear snob, which allowed them to record in any environment without the pressure of a massive studio clock ticking.
Why Jim-E Stack is the "Producer of the Year" Frontrunner
It's 2026, and looking back, 2025 was the year of Jim-E Stack. He wasn't just working with Lorde. He was simultaneousely producing Bon Iver’s SABLE, fABLE and working with Dominic Fike. The man was everywhere, yet his sound is so specific that it never feels like he's "selling out."
People keep trying to imitate his drum programming, but they usually miss the "broken" quality he loves. He likes the take that isn't mic'd quite right. He likes the guitar sound that feels a bit off. In a world where AI can generate a perfect pop song in four seconds, that human imperfection is why artists are flocking to him.
On Virgin, he's credited across the entire tracklist. Songs like "Man of the Year" and "David" show a side of Lorde we haven't seen—more physical, more grounded, and definitely more electronic than Solar Power. It’s a return to the club, but a club that’s a bit sweaty and dark, not the neon-lit EDM festivals of 2014.
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Moving Past the "Pure Heroine" Comparisons
A lot of fans and critics keep trying to compare the Jim-E Stack Lorde era to her debut. Sure, the electronic palette is back, but the maturity is on a different level. In her interview with Dazed, Lorde was open about her struggles with PMDD and how she used small doses of Prozac to manage her mood. She talked about being "transformed by having sex" while single and the fear that comes with new connections.
Jim-E’s production provides the "framework" for those heavy, physical themes. He knows when to nudge her into a different space and when to just let her voice be the center of the universe. When the vocals came front and center during their sessions, Jim-E said that’s when everything finally felt "complete."
Key Takeaways for Your Next Playlist
If you’re trying to understand why this collaboration changed the game, pay attention to these specific details next time you stream the album:
- The Space: Notice how often there is almost nothing playing behind her voice. That’s Jim-E’s "minimalism" at work.
- The Low End: The bass on tracks like "Shapeshifter" isn't smooth; it has a "gristle" to it that feels alive.
- The Drum Phrasing: It’s never a simple 4/4 loop. It’s syncopated, human, and slightly unpredictable.
Jim-E Stack didn't just produce a Lorde album; he helped her find a new way to be an artist. He proved that you don't need a wall of sound to make an impact. Sometimes, you just need the right person to tell you to leave the "broken" take in.
To truly appreciate the evolution of this sound, start by listening to "What Was That" back-to-back with Jim-E's solo work on EPHEMERA. You’ll hear the bridge between his underground electronic roots and the high-stakes world of global pop. Next, compare the drum textures in Virgin to his work on the latest Bon Iver record to see how he adapts his "less is more" philosophy across wildly different genres.