Rating: 9/10
The Lorde has risen again — and it’s no surprise this comes after Easter Sunday.
Lorde announced her new single “What Was That” on social media last Wednesday afternoon, shocking millions of fans after a four-year absence from the music industry.
The announcement came a week after she created a TikTok account and posted a video with a teaser of the song. The cover art showcases an up-close shot of the singer, in a red T-shirt with a freshly cleansed face and droplets of water falling from her chin.
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She played the track early for fans who gathered in Washington Square Park in New York City on Tuesday before its official release on Thursday. She shared a message via her Instagram story and fan text line: “Meet me in the park Tonight 7pm – x x.”
The song opens up with a slow fade-in: “A place in the city/ A chair and a bed/ I cover up all the mirrors/ Can’t see myself yet,” she sings.
Immediately, you can hear the sonic shift from her previous 2021 LP, “Solar Power,” which was very stripped down and mellow in its production — a record that was truly ahead of its time.
The chorus stands out as the highest peak of the song; it is pure euphoria — something she exceeds in presenting masterfully.
“MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up/ We kissed for hours straight, well, baby, what was that?” to “Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm and it knocks me out,” she declares.
The song notably picks up pace in the production and vocal delivery and slows back down when returning for its second verse. She reckons with this rollercoaster of a person as if they’re similar to the highs and lows of using a drug that is too good to put down and too hard to let go.
In the second verse, she sings: “Do you know you’re still with me/ When I’m out with my friends?/ I stare at the painted faces/ They talk current affairs,” describing this lingering of a past relationship that’s still living on in her head, consuming her present world.
The track feels both new and familiar — like a lovechild of “Solar Power” and “Melodrama.” Her sophomore LP, “Melodrama,” was widely appreciated by fans and critics alike, with many calling it her best project to date. The record is beloved for its innovative sound and rich storytelling of adolescence.
You can hear the similarities in the production, but you can also feel it in the songwriting with lyrics like, “Whatever has to pass through me pass through/ But this is staying a while, I know/ It might not let me go,” she sings with both acceptance and a wince.
The outro is another moment that further shows how “Solar Power” meets “Melodrama.” Lorde has switched up collaborators yet again for this new era, calling upon rising producer Daniel Nigro to help fuel her sonic vision. Nigro is well-known for his work with other pop artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan.
Lorde previously collaborated with producers Jack Antonoff for “Solar Power” and “Melodrama” and Joel Little for her debut “Pure Heroine.” Antonoff is best known for his work with musicians like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and, more recently, Sabrina Carpenter.
When finishing the song, only one thing is left on your mind: what was that? A question that can only be answered by hitting replay, preferably with headphones.
Lorde has labeled her past albums as substances that defined the era in which she made them: “Pure Heroine” as alcohol, “Melodrama” as ecstasy and “Solar Power” as cannabis.
Naturally, this makes sense given the New Zealander’s profound ability to craft mesmerizing hits, such as “Ribs,” “Supercut” and “400 Lux.”
This leads fans to wonder: What will she intoxicate us with in “L4?”
While there is no information yet on a possible new record, we can be assured that a new era of Lorde is upon us.
