Best tracks: The Path, Solar Power, California, Fallen Fruit, Mood Ring
I’ve gone back and forth on how to handle album reviews here, in some ways waiting for an album with a narrative that is so interesting that I just have to write about it. Lorde’s Solar Power happens to be that album. The divided reception is certainly one reason I really want to try and make sense of what Lorde has released here.
I’m old enough that Solar Power is not the first case I’ve seen of a mainstream pop artist rejecting what made them popular and coming out with something that is, in some ways, in direct opposition to their previous work. Lorde’s sophomore record, Melodrama, was one of the best pop records of the last decade, that much is true. It is a record that takes the negativity of a breakup and turns it into something beautiful: a portrait of catharsis and bliss in defiance of emotional turmoil and anxiety.
New Zealand pop superstar Lorde has returned with the lead single to her third album, “Solar Power“. Once you get past the initial shock of one of pop’s historically moodiest songstresses embracing sunny euphoria (Her last record was aptly named “Melodrama” after all), it’s clear that we’re getting treated to something truly special here.
Most of the song seems unremarkable at first, consisting of Lorde’s hushed vocals and a thumping acoustic guitar, until some angelic backing vocals lead us into the song’s psychedelic rock inspired coda. After that point, Lorde and a selection of background vocalists (Including a cameo from Phoebe Bridgers) repeatedly sing the song’s title to lead us out of the song.
It’s a structure with some quite obvious influences, namely late 1960s anthems such as the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” or the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” At the same time, Lorde’s personality still shines through, due primarily to the evocative and weird lyricism that feels comforting and eerie at the same time. The production has small touches of modern pop that differentiate it from its inspirations, such as pitch-shifted vocals and some light synth notes here and there.
Speaking of the production, this song reminded me quite a bit of St. Vincent’s newest album, Daddy’s Home, which was released last month. That album was also produced by the illustrious Jack Antonoff, and also drew upon a lot of classic rock influences. Hell, this song’s chord progression and melody do remind me of one particular song on that record–“…At the Holiday Party.” Despite these overwhelming similarities, the two songs conjure completely different moods. If the songs from Daddy’s Home feel like a being lost in a dark, grimy city, “Solar Power” instead feels like the sun breaking through clouds. It’s clear-headed and optimistic; even heavenly. Lorde says it best herself: “Forget all of the tears that you’ve cried, it’s over.”
I can’t think of a more perfectly timed song release, to be completely honest. After the hardship we’ve all been through over the past year, it seems that things are finally starting to return to normal. Even then, it’s still hard to shake the feeling that we live in a dangerous and chaotic world. Lorde has made a song that feels like a cultural directive in the midst of all this: go outside, throw your phones in the water, and just bask in the sunshine. Come on and let the bliss begin.
Amped! 