It’s been four years since we last heard from New Zealand pop artist, Lorde. However, the wait is finally over with the release of her new single, “Solar Power.”
Thursday night, Lorde introduced fans to her next evolution. “There’s someone I want you to meet,” she shared in an email, “Her feet are bare at all times. She’s sexy, playful, feral, and free. She’s a modern girl in a deadstock bikini, in touch with her past and her future, vibrating at the highest level when summer comes around. Her skin is glowing, her lovers are many. I’m completely obsessed with her, and soon you will be too.”
The announcement of the new era was celebrated with her new single “Solar Power” an acoustic and laid-back summer anthem.
The track, co-written and co-produced with frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff, radiates warmth and a new found confidence from the 24 year old. Soaked in harmonies provided by Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo and psychedelic strings, the track harkens back to folk songs of the 60s and 90s classics from George Michael, while the catchy hook rings Lorde.
The wait was made even more worth it with the release of the accompanying music video co-directed by Joel Kefali ( “Royals”). The video is a departure from her previous work with the vibrant visuals. Filmed in one shot, the camera follows Lorde frolicking across a beach oasis joining friends for chess, drinks, dancing, and escape.
“Solar Power” will appear on her third studio album by the same name arriving later this year and will surely be a summer soundtrack, “the one you pump on the drive to the beach. The one that lingers on your skin like a tan as the months get cooler again, Lorde imagines. In the meantime, Lorde teases, “there’s so much more detail to come — a truly comical amount of detail, honestly.”