Lorde's high school band unmasked (+audio)

Before she was Lorde, Ella Yelich O'Connor sang in a "future noir" high school band influenced by Fugazi and PJ Harvey.

An album's worth of material from her band, called And They Were Masked, has been uncovered online.

The album, called Characters, is for sale for $7 and lists Ella Yelich O'Connor - aka Lorde - as the band's vocalist.

NME.com reported the songs dated back to Lorde's High School band in 2011/12.

On Facebook, the seven-piece band describes its sound as "future noir" and lists its influences as Dimmer, Bloc Party, Massive Attack and The Mars Volta.

The page hasn't been updated since January, 2013.

The songs were first discovered by Lorde Daily, a fansite dedicated to the Royals singer:

Listen to "Piece of Mind", a song that Lorde recorded back in 2011/2012 #TBT https://t.co/NEC98frp4B

Since going solo, Lorde has gone on to win international acclaim - including two Grammy Awards - thanks to her No. 1 hit Royals and album Pure Heroine.

In recent interviews, the Devonport teen has said she is working on a second album with a completely different sound.

- nzherald.co.nz