On a track off her last album, Lorde dropped the line, “you’re gonna watch me disappear into the sun.” Four years after Melodrama, she emerges with her third album titled Solar Power. The links and connections between past eras are almost always intentional, according to the artist, and this new life stage reflects her personal growth.
Listeners are treated with a beachy and acoustic vibe throughout the studio album, taking inspiration from New Zealand summers. Lorde inserted samples of cicadas and crashing waves in her tracks, adding to that warm and liberating feeling Solar Power offers. Pure Heroine was about rebellious and angsty teen years, Melodrama was a post-break-up anthem, and now she’s finally settling into herself and inviting us to revel in this new state of mind.
The 14-track album includes singles Solar Power, Stoned at the Nail Salon, and Mood Ring that explores different themes of nature and wellness culture. “I’ve grown a lot, done a lot. I’m happy. I work out a ton. My body’s hot. I’m feeling good. Life is good. And I’m bringing you in on where I’m at right now,” she said in a New York Times interview. Using synesthesia as a tool for creating music and leaning into the acoustic guitar brought everything to light.
There were polarizing reactions to the third studio album, given it’s not the same pop tunes the Kiwi artist became known for. “I think that you only have half the picture before the song or the body of work is released — I think the other half gets completed by people’s perception. That’s what makes it pop,” she tells NPR. It’s the type of record that initially doesn’t seem like it fits her aesthetic, but you eventually grow to love.
Solar Power was officially released into the universe on August 20. Lorde’s work in the studio is done, and she’ll soon be off for her world tour, hopefully adding Asia to the itinerary.
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