Solar Power - Lorde (2021)

Making a light and bubbly return from her four-year hiatus, Lorde’s Solar Power is a shockingly joyful (and out-of-character) that captures Lorde’s experience of a New Zealand summer, simultaneously chronicling the ways in which traveling to places such as Antarctica sparked Lorde’s interest in environmental activism and wellness culture. The album begins with “The Path”, a 70s-inspired tune revolving around her disbelief in the notion that celebrities can provide fans with answers about how they should live their lives. Supporting this claim, she sings, “If you’re looking for a savior, well, that’s not me.” “Stoned at the Nail Salon” is a much more introspective and bleak track, providing somewhat of a callback to Lorde’s older work, and cuts deeper than most of the other, more carefree tracks on the album. “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” is an anthem that feels as if it is dedicated to those who have stuck by Lorde from the beginning, explaining how she handled her launch into overnight-fame at only fifteen and the ways in which she has grown since then. “Mood Ring” is a track calling out the many hypocrisies of today’s social media-based wellness culture. It is catchy and clever, although it sometimes veers dangerously close into the territory Lorde claims to be against. The album closes with “Oceanic Feeling”, which personifies its title as it uses synthesizers, tropical guitar melodies, and Lorde’s self-recorded clips of cicadas to take listeners along with her on an exotic getaway. Overall, although it is incredibly different from her other two albums, Solar Power depicts Lorde celebrating her long journey to happiness and confidence in herself, which can also be seen in the revealing album cover. It serves as a cheerful reminder that there truly is a light at the end of every tunnel, no matter how long or dark it may be.