Lorde - Solar Power
Alternative – Released August 20, 2021 – 13 songs, 46 mins
*****BUZZ PICK*****
LUNDI
Have your parents ever said to you “we’re not mad, we’re just disappointed”? Well that’s basically how I’ve felt the past few weeks while digging into Lorde’s third album.
Solar Power is a vast departure from Lorde’s previous works both sonically and lyrically. Gone are the electropop arrangements and booming in your face tracks, now replaced by subtle acoustic guitars and a peaceful mentality. She has grown from singing of social anxiety, heartbreak, and celeb hatred to acceptance and happiness of her life for whatever it is and will be. While this no doubt is better for her personal life, these changes result in a underwhelming album from the pop prodigy.
The album is however still enjoyable. Standout tracks Stoned at the Nail Salon, Solar Power and Mood Ring still feature Lorde’s best musical traits with her writing and vocals shining through. At the end though the album leaves you feeling let down. The excitement that comes from a mega star releasing an album is like no other in the music world. Having it fall flat is disappointing to say the least. Solar Power would no doubt be quite the debut album from any up and coming artist, but for Lorde and the prowess we’ve come to expect it’s certainly a step back from Melodrama and Pure Heroine.
One of the starkest realities of the music industry is that the greatest music comes from pain. It’s roots, no matter where or how they originate, dig deep into the soul of the greatest artists to help produce the best of the best. On Solar Power Lorde is happy as ever and that’s great… for her. For listeners it leaves you wanting more.
Overall Rating: 7.3/10
Favourite Song: Stoned at the Nail Salon
REID
New Zealand’s own, Ella Marija Lani Yelich O’Connor, is back with her third studio album. At just 24 years of age, Lorde has an impressive resume with a long list of accolades highlighted by two Grammy awards and five nominations. Fitting the two wins are from her debut smash single, Royals, as her name stems from a fascination with aristocracy. Tidy little way to burst onto the scene. Before Solar Power, Royals was my only exposure so TSR is once again bringing new music to the table.
The thing that stood out immediately was the songwriting. The Path and Solar Power open the album with an unorthodox style, kind of of edging the listener along without a traditional chorus. They eventually wrap up with very satisfying payoffs. The oddities continue with Stoned at the Nail Salon, Fallen Fruit and Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen it All). The instrument use is simple. Combined with strong vocal harmonies and interesting composition, it makes for a memorable listen. Unfortunately the album loses most of its steam here. Dominoes and Mood Ring are ok but feel redundant. It’s tough to feel amazing about an album when the back half really fizzles out after a great start.
Solar Power has given me a true appreciation for Lorde’s abilities as a singer and songwriter. And her butt… I like that too. With that, I’ll conclude with a quote from Secrets from a Girl, ‘Everyone wants the best for you. But you gotta want it for yourself, My Love.’
Overall Rating - 7.2/10
Favourite Song - Solar Power
ROZ
Lorde's third outing, Solar Power, did not live up to my expectations. Now, anyone who's gone through our catalogue of reviews may be saying "well Roz is the production guy" and probably thought I just didn't appreciate the fact that Solar Power distances itself from the dance-riddled, bass heavy sound of her previous albums and opts for stripped down acoustic folk rock. If that's your take, I'm sorry but you're wrong (although yes Flumes Tennis Court remix is one of my favorite remixes of all time, but still). I actually took a different approach to the album after realizing how simple and sparse the instrumentation was and dialed in on the songwriting aspect more than I usually do.
I read some interviews with Lorde breaking down her thought process while writing this album and it summed up the lyrical content for me pretty well, in that she wrote it in "bits and pieces", here and there, over the course of a long period of time. Solar Power is all over the place and covers quite a variety of topics, touching on her dealing with fame (The Path), nature (Solar Power), winning her Grammy for Royals (California), young love (The Man with the Axe / Dominoes), climate change (Leader of a New Regime) and even a song about her dog (Big Star). Out of all of these, both Solar Power and California pleased my ears the most and managed to sustain my interest along with the other standout tracks Fallen Fruit and Stoned at the Nail Salon.
I have one word for Lorde's Solar Power, and that word is anticlimactic. When you look at this talented young woman's body of work - does anything on Solar Power really hold a candle to any of it? Royals, Tennis Court, Ribs, Perfect Places, Homemade Dynamite, The Louvre, Green Light? Yes these are all hits, but come on. Solar Power has no hits. A page out of a Where's Waldo book, except that Waldo decided to take the day off. Luckily, what it lacked in substance and direction she made up for with raw talent and heart. Solar Power isn't exactly a bad album, I just expected a whole lot more.
Favourite Song: Stoned at the Nail Salon
Overall Rating: 5.8/10