Lorde’s ‘Solar Power’ is a step in the right direction
While Solar Power may not be what fans are used to, it is an important step for Lorde as an artist
Photo: Ophelia Mikkelson-Jones
After a three year wait following the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album, Melodrama, Lorde has returned with her third album Solar Power. A divergence from her previous album, Lorde has taken on a newer sound that reflects the period of her life she has been through the past few years. While she has been absent from social media, she has revealed details about the album through her mailing list; detailing the loss of her dog, reflections of her life, and even detailing part of her writing process. The album’s personal touch is part of what makes it a welcome step in the right direction for Lorde to make music that still reflects herself in the way she wants.
The album’s opening track, The Path serves as a great opening track. As to be expected knowing the album’s context, she is openly vulnerable about her life and how she feels from the get-go. She proclaims that she’s not a saviour of any kind and she has her demons despite the fame she has. Filled with soft yet haunting indie instrumental and light-as-air harmonies, it sets the scene of Solar Power with a familiar sense of where Melodrama left off with aim into a new direction.
The title track, Solar Power, sent fans into a frenzy upon its release; however, its placement as the second track contrasts the darker tones of The Path in a way that opens up an album theme of self freedom and exploration; something that mirrors what she writes about in her fan club email. Solar Power has a vibrant tone that’s summer-ready without compromising what makes Lorde the superstar she is: lyricism combined with dynamic production. Once again collaborating with renowned producer Jack Antinoff, the song has its collaborative charm that appeared on Melodrama, this time featuring some new friends. With Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers on background vocals, Solar Power was bound to be something special before it was even released. Its lyrics beckon listeners to rejuvenate themselves through the glory of beaches and sunlight, with your phone to be nowhere in sight (or in the ocean, for that matter). Solar Power is all about being carefree and letting the light in, both figuratively and literally. It sounds like it belongs to the California counterculture of the past, yet it fits just right in the present.
California has a similar vibe of belonging in counterculture and is all about the beloved state. Composed of a funky melody, a 2pac “California Love” reference, Grammy’s commentary, and her odd fixation on the scene that lies there (even though she claims it freaks her out a bit), it’s a light and breezy track. She acknowledges that California has given her so much but she knows that it’s not her true home. The second single, Stoned at the Nail Salon, is an existential track where Lorde laments about her present, past, and unknown future. With a slow, acoustic melody that has a classic guitar reminiscent of a ‘70s album track or b-side, it feels right at home in the album. Reflective of her time on tour and wanting to come back home to have time to grow into her older self (“Oh, make it good / I’d ride and I’d ride on the carousel / Round and round forever if I could / But it’s time to cool it down / Whatever that means”), its sonically older feel reflects its lyrical content perfectly. Perhaps she is just stoned, but the outcome of her time at the nail salon made for a highlight of Lorde’s maturation in her music.
Fallen Fruit follows suit with the other tracks of being reflective of the airy and acoustic nature of the previous tracks; however, there is a pleasant beat switch on the second verse that makes for a bit of a throwback to her previous efforts. An open note to mother nature, the anxieties of growing in a world that’s falling apart very quickly (re: climate crisis), it is the most abstract song of the album. “But how can I love what I know I am gonna lose?” is the big question of it all, yet there is no answer to be found as Lorde ponders the supposed beginning of the end. Secrets from A Girl (Who’s Seen It All) is a ruminative number about her youth and where she is now as an adult. The most upbeat song on the album since the title track features a guest appearance via spoken outro by infamous Swedish singer Robyn. Revealed by Lorde, the song contains some chords of Ribs; however, they were reversed as a reflection of her talking to her younger self alongside the juxtaposition of Ribs via the song’s uptempo structure.
The next track is an interesting surprise: a love song. The Man With the Axe is all about her current partner who she sees so much love in. It is an interesting juxtaposition of sappier lyrics detailing her emotions (“You felled me clean as a pine / The man with the axe and the look in his eyes / We’ve been through so many hard times / I’m writin’ a love song for you, baby”) regarding loving someone and a dense, wide-spaced instrumental. It’s a standout track on Solar Power, and one that fans likely will find something to love. The following track Dominoes is all about an ex-something who constantly reinvents themselves to outrun the damage they do. It’s on the shorter side; nevertheless, its folk-sounding vibes with an upbeat, groovy guitar lick that repeats throughout the song keeps it engaging throughout. Lorde sings the lyrics as if talking to the person she’s writing about directly, with a tinge of passive aggression. Maybe it’s deserved.
Big Star is an ode to her dog, Pearl, who passed away in 2019. The album process was halted by this loss, as noted in her email back during the start of the Solar Power era, and its influence on the end result of this song (and perhaps the rest of the album) is quite present. Purposefully composed of dark sonic sounds, the metaphor of a big star is a delightful way to memorialize her dog. While the track was written before the death occurred, how loss becomes a formative part of our lives and how we wish we had more time reflects beautifully on Big Star.
Leader of A New Regime tackles the recurring theme of dystopian futures as a result of the world falling apart once more. The shortest song on the project, meaning it feels like an interlude rather than a full track. Harmonies and acoustic guitar composition return once more, as Lorde sings about packing her things (“Simone and Céline, and of course, my magazines”) as she clamours for someone to take charge of the dystopian world. Inspired by the idea of a pop star at the end of the world packing designer stuff, its purpose of an interlude-esque track serves well.
Mood Ring is the latest single released. It starts with a vaporwave kind of intro; quite a difference from the end of Leader of A New Regime. Soft acoustic melody picks up and goes into a more dynamic instrumental composition as the song progresses. Lorde attempts to write something satirical about finding oneself through the power of a mood ring, self-care in the form of more earthly means, astrology, etc. While it is not meant to be serious, the catchiness of Mood Ring makes for a radio-friendly track.
Perhaps contrasting the upbeat and satire of Mood Ring, Oceanic Feeling is the closing track and the longest track on the album. Clocking in at six minutes and forty seconds, it is a reflection of where she currently stands in life. She goes back to thinking about the past, present, and future in a similar way to Stoned at the Nail Salon; however, it seems hopeful this time. Oceanic Feeling has an interesting assortment of instrumentals that highlight percussion(s) more than previous tracks. Marlon Williams is featured on the outro as Lorde tops the album off with a sentiment of taking the future as it comes. After the emotional highs and lows of Solar Power, concluding with a sense of finding oneself, at least oneself thus far, shows that Lorde has not only grown as a musician but as a human being trying to navigate her way through being an artist.
While Solar Power may not be what fans are used to, it is an important step for Lorde as an artist. After being gone for so long it makes sense for her to be evolving musically as she evolves through life. Perhaps not as critically acclaimed as her previous efforts and polarizing with fans, it is Lorde at her highest level of openness about life and the cycle of happiness and heartbreak in so many ways. Solar Power offers something for all types of moments; whether that be laying on the beach, thinking about life’s purpose, or figuring out life as you grow older. Maybe years from now it will be a record to reach for as someone packs for the end of the world, or maybe it’s the record that will age like wine as the world goes through changes. Regardless, Lorde still has the ability to craft lyrics that contain just the right amount of poetics and relatability when necessary, and an ability to have audiences patiently waiting to hear what she has to say.