LORDE - SOLAR POWER
Solar Power is musical proof Lorde has grown from being the melodramatic, young girl we have come to know and love.
Solar Power is musical proof Lorde has grown from being the melodramatic, young girl we have come to know and love.
Lorde has returned with her third album Solar Power, four years after her critically acclaimed album Melodrama. No longer a 20-year-old girl, fresh off the success of her number one single ‘Royals’ and deep in the midst of a heartbreak, writing vengeance fuelled songs, Lorde shows monumental growth throughout Solar Power, but it comes partially as a detriment to the album.
There are hints of the singer's signature, husky voice and pop sound but the tone of Solar Power is a far cry from what we have come to expect from the singer. The 12 track album’s tones are airy and fluid. Discussing the album with Triple J, Lorde explained “every song on the album, I did say it has to sound like the sun, and this one in a big way. It to me sounds like the sun, the beach, the waves, the girls lying on the beach. I just really wanted it to have that vibe. The guitars and the drums – everything’s so sunny.” Solar Power stays true to Lorde's intentions of wanting it to feel and sound featherlight and custom made for a long summer's day.
Solar Power starts off exactly as it means with ‘The Path’, a soft sounding instrumental paired with an angelic version of the Kiwi singer's voice. Similar to all the lyrics in the album, there are themes of nature, the environment and astrology, sounding like they come directly from a bohemian, free spirit that is unrecognisable to fans of the singer. The themes come at a risk of being distasteful. After a year being in lockdown with travel plans changed and even cancelled daily, hearing about days spent at the beach with no pressures in the world is a taste of how the other half lived that no one asked for. But it is something we have come to expect.
‘California’ comes after the self-titled track and is the first peak into how Lorde’s growth came to be and an ode to her older sound. The lyrics detail the moment she recognised herself as transcending to a star then quickly her realisation that it was not the life she wanted for herself anymore, the constant echo of the chorus "Don’t want that California Love” and the lighter themes the album exhibit shows she made the right decision.
Most of the tracks follow this pattern, gentle vocals and dream-pop styled melodies making for an easy and not entirely memorable listen. ‘Big Star’ and ‘The Man With The Axe’ are notable highlights. Both tracks are reminiscent of the artists signature sound.
Lorde has always been original, making her a Grammy award winner, with even David Bowie himself calling her “The Future of Music”, but there is not much original in terms of the sound or how the themes are explored in Solar Power. Lorde said that it was a ‘Weed Album’ and it should be seen and listened to as that - a nonchalant, undemanding listen.
Taylor Duffy
★★☆☆☆