Lorde
“Solar Power”
WIMITLA. SONG REVIEW
by Alix Sholomon and Elie Weitzman
“Solar Power” Cover Artwork / Click to Listen!
The wait is over: Lorde has finally dropped. After a three-year hiatus filled with speculation and a wait time that almost felt meme-able, with people constantly joking about the fact that she may never drop music again, one of the most anticipated releases of the last few years finally hit streaming services this past weekend. Our speculation-induced headache only grew worse this week when the single was prematurely released for five minutes before being taken down. However, now that we’ve got the chance to truly soak her latest song, we have some thoughts.
The song itself was enjoyable as ever, sounding like something influenced by contemporaries such as Harry Styles and HAIM, with an infusion of Lorde’s highly recognizable style. The same can be said for the music video, directed by Joel Kefali and Ella Yelich-O’Connor, which utilized a one-shot that panned around a calming beach scene that gave a visual of a mellow summer vibe to accompany Lorde’s beautiful vocals. Her playful voice fills the air with mental images of sunsets, hot sand, and tropical fruit any time that the song is playing. However, it should be noted that this song represents one of the biggest departures she could have possibly made from her original sound, slightly altering the effect that she has on her audience.
As an isolated song, this is a fun and lovable track that any artist would be lucky to have in their discography. That being said, in the context of Lorde’s career, it was disappointing to many. Lorde is often seen as an artist one cries to. Or sobs to. Or bawls their eyes out to. You get the point. “Solar Power” could not be farther from that, which irked many listeners. It doesn’t discredit her as an artist whatsoever but rather pivots her sound to fit a wider range of feelings in a somewhat jarring way. In some weird way, though, this is perhaps the natural progression of her career. There is no shortage of somber ballads out there today in the music industry. Lorde was hardly the first but did pave the way for songs that now fill the Billboard Top 100. For her to continue with her classic depressing sound would be a poor demonstration of the development she has gone through as both an artist and a person. So, while it may be a tad underwhelming, we’re willing to see where this new era of Lorde’s career goes. 7/10