Listen to Lorde's Sun-Worshipping Third Record 'Solar Power'

The follow-up to the 2017's 'Melodrama' has finally arrived

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Aug 20, 2021

Praise be! The sun has emerged from the clouds and the heavens have parted to reveal Lorde has returned: Solar Power is here.

Our August cover star is very much already the "weird elder stateswoman of pop" — a title she's rightfully earned. From the release of her first single "Royals" launching her into the stratosphere when she was just 16, Lorde's rise has been nothing short of meteoric. But she's not one to let her reign burn out fast and bright.

Canonical heartbreak record Melodrama is an incredibly hard act to follow, but naturally, we thought the same of the New Zealander's 2013 debut Pure Heroine. At this point, Lorde only needs to impress herself and make what she wants to make. It took grieving the loss of her beloved dog Pearl and a trip to Antarctica — a "deep, heavy experience" — for the artist to connect with nature in a whole new way and realize the true muse of her third album was the sun.

Now 24, she's teamed up with synergistic collaborator Jack Antonoff once again — just don't call it another "Jack Antonoff record"; the sonic textures of Solar Power are nothing like you've heard previously.

A self-proclaimed worshipper of 808s, Lorde says there's only one drum machine on the entire album: "What you need to communicate the ideas changes. Everything's a risk, but it all feels right for what we made," she tells Exclaim!

The title track and lead single harkens the influence of Primal Scream and George Michael, with Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo lending additional vocals. The album also features Robyn on "Secrets From a Girl [Who's Seen it All]".

"Stoned at the Nail Salon" sees her melancholically contemplating her path — "Just in case I wake up and realize I've chosen wrong," she sings — while "Mood Ring" is a hymnal poking fun at wellness culture but embodying the ache at the core of its allure.

Expect the unexpected from onion ring connoisseur and hot wings champion Lorde as you trace the cicada sounds reminiscent of her Auckland summers across the tracks of this record.

Listen to Solar Power on your streaming platform of choice below.

 

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