By Pen Fang
Following the success of “Royals” in 2013, Lorde rose to stardom-level fame. But almost a decade later, she has just released a third album. Each of her albums has been significantly different from the others — Pure Heroine was about the complexity of the teenage years, while Melodrama examined what it is like to be a young adult. So where is she now?
The answer, it seems, is that she has moved on. Solar Power takes a new direction from the path she has forged, with its lighter, more laid-back production — sun-kissed, so to speak. While still working with producer Jack Antonoff, Solar Power shifts away from the fluorescent production of Melodrama, though it still sounds distinctly Lorde-like, with defining unique elements. Prominent themes of Solar Power include celebrity culture, climate change, and moving on.
In the opening track “The Path,” she rejects the notion that she is someone to be idolized. In an interview with USA Today, she even states, “A lot of people look to people like me for spiritual guidance, and starting the album like that was my way of saying, ‘I’m just as [messed] up as you are. Don’t look at me. But if we all look up here, maybe we’ll find out something interesting about ourselves.’” The second track is the titular one; “Solar Power” is about the coming of summer complete with the music video set on the beach. In an email before the release, Lorde stated, “It’s about that infectious, flirtatious summer energy that takes hold of us all.” Musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo sing backing vocals on the track as well.
Following “Solar Power” is “California,” starting with lyrics about Lorde winning a Grammy for “Royals,” before progressing to her rejection of the celebrity life. The song concludes with a dreamy outro, ending with “It’s all just a dream/I wanna wake up, I wanna wake up.” Personally, the song is one of my favorites — there is an addicting quality to the blend of her vocals and the production that set it apart on my first listen.
Her second single, “Stoned at the Nail Salon” follows. In a bittersweet song about getting older, Lorde sings, “‘Cause all of the beautiful girls, they will fade like the roses,” and, “Spend all the evenings you can with the people who raised you/’Cause all the times they will change, it’ll all come around.” It is a very stripped-back track, wistful and vulnerable. She sings about growing up and settling down — even if she doesn’t know what it means.
The next track, “Fallen Fruit,” is a lament about the climate crisis, questioning the decisions previous generations have made regarding the earth, featuring escapism as a theme. The song itself is gorgeous, featuring the distinctly Lorde-esque sound, with layers of harmonies and a unique production. Following it is “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen it All).” Similar to “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” the song is about growing older. It makes references to both of her past albums, while also mixing in moving forward during the poken outro made to sound like a flight attendant’s spiel. Easily one of the best lines is, “Your emotional baggage can be picked up at carousel number two/Please be careful so it doesn’t fall on someone you love.”
In “The Man with the Axe,” a soft song about a lover. She sings about her love and affection for him with an almost melancholy tone and backing track, comparing him to a man with an axe who has felled her. Like most of Solar Power, it is relatively laid-back with the production. “Dominoes” quickly shifts up the tone. A bit nonsensical at first glance, the track seems to be about people who constantly seek reinvention and being whole through trends. It’s lighter in tone and production, similar to the later track “Mood Ring.”
The next track, “Big Star,” is about Lorde’s dog, Pearl. In an email to fans, Lorde revealed that Pearl had passed away about a year after she had gotten Pearl. Through Spotify, Lorde stated, “This song is about my dog, my beautiful boy Pearl who I love so much and miss every day. I wrote it before he died, before I knew that there was anything wrong with him. I wrote this at home on the piano, I remember he was lying underneath it, I looked down and was like… ‘You big dummy. You’re never going to know that I’m writing this song about how much I love you.’”
“Leader of a New Regime,” like previous tracks, reflects on the climate crisis. Lorde references wearing high-SPF sunscreen and burnt-out scenes, along with continuing the theme of escaping from an uninhabitable environment.
The last single and 11th track is “Mood Ring.” The song itself has a similar theme to “Dominoes,” creating a satirical character who tries to heal through wellness culture — and cultural appropriation. She criticizes people who take cultural practices and use them without acknowledging their significance. The song is very reminiscent of summer and encapsulates the album fairly well.
Lorde closes the album with “Oceanic Feeling,” a six minute long track about Lorde personally: her, but also her family, New Zealand, and where she is. The song itself is rich with production noises, such as the sound of cicadas, and beautiful lyricism. It feels like the healing and the moving on: “Oh, was enlightenment found?/No, but I’m tryin’, takin’ it one year at a time.”
Lorde isn’t releasing another Pure Heroine or Melodrama because she isn’t in that stage or mindset anymore. Like everyone, she is growing and changing, and her music reflects that.
