Lorde has always been seen as an old soul, wise beyond her years. She burst onto the scene as a teenager from suburban New Zealand, releasing the breakout hit “Royals” at just 16. This track, which offered a sharp critique of modern fame, topped charts worldwide and earned her two Grammys, including Song of the Year. With her first two albums, Pure Heroine (2013) and Melodrama (2017), she solidified her reputation as a confident, introspective artist—Gen Z’s poet-queen.
After several years of touring, living, and weathering pandemic delays, Lorde finally completed her third album, Solar Power (released Aug. 20). She mentioned that the death of her dog, Pearl, caused some of the initial delays, but the opening lines of the album’s first track, “The Path,” hit with precision. The lines, “Born in the year of OxyContin, raised in the tall grass/Teen millionaire having nightmares from the camera flash,” sum up her story in a raw, clever way. It’s a style she’s known for—full of sharp, unexpected references and intricate details.
On “California,” she drifts through dreamy imagery of desert flowers and kids waiting for the latest Supreme drop. Meanwhile, “Stoned in the Nail Salon” takes a slower, more reflective approach, with sparse guitar backing lyrics about slowing down and finding beauty in the simple things. Many songs seem to be directed at a mysterious, silver-haired lover, including the track “The Man With an Axe,” where she sings about the bittersweet end of a relationship. The song is filled with personal reflections, as she admits, “I’ve got hundreds of gowns/I’ve got paintings in frames/And a throat that fills with panic every festival day.”
The lead single “Solar Power” shows a lighter side of Lorde. In the music video, she frolics on a sunny beach, carefree, and takes hits from a celery bong while encouraging her listeners to “let the bliss begin.” The video drew mixed reactions, with some people comparing it to an antidepressant or Old Navy ad, while others embraced its carefree, cult-like energy. And of course, there was plenty of online buzz about the cheeky album cover.
While Solar Power has a few moments of pure joy, like the upbeat “Solar,” it mostly moves away from the dramatic soundscapes of Melodrama. Instead of bold, thundering beats and complex rhythms, this album favors a softer, more laid-back feel, with light, airy sounds floating behind her distinct vocals.
Now at 24, Lorde has become a bit of an elder in the music scene she helped shape, blending pop with indie sensibilities. So when rising stars like Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo provide background vocals, or Swedish pop icon Robyn drops a self-help interlude on “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All),” it feels like a passing of the torch to the next generation of artists in her lane.
After almost a decade in the spotlight, it seems like Lorde is stepping back, unsure if the fame is worth the trade-offs. Solar Power has a quieter, more cautious vibe, as if she’s protecting herself from the vulnerability she once laid bare in her earlier work. On the final track, “Oceanic Feeling,” she sings about putting away her once-signature dark lipstick, signaling a new chapter: “Now that cherry-black lipstick’s gathering dust in a drawer, I don’t need her anymore/Cuz I got this power.” Lorde is no longer the girl she once was, and she’s choosing to keep some parts of herself hidden.