Stars: 3/5
On her 2017 track, “Liability,” Lorde declared that we were all going to watch her disappear into the sun; she completes that prophecy with her new album, “Solar Power.” “Solar Power” stands in deep contrast to Lorde’s earlier releases. Instead of singing about suburban dread or the dramatic uncoupling of young love, “Solar Power” is filled with folksy, psychedelic odes to optimism and the summer sun.
Lorde embraces escapism, nature and new age spirituality, while also subtly mocking those same topics by criticizing the more problematic ideas they uphold. However, the line between authenticity and satire is unclear throughout the album, and the subject of the album largely being about flower child problems is incredibly hard to relate to for anyone who doesn’t cleanse crystals with their upper-class friends.
The production mainly features acoustic folk guitar licks, simplistic synth piano melodies and mellow drum beats that create a serene and sunny atmosphere. This album feels like summer, but the simplistic arrangements drain the album of its energy.
Most of this album is a tedious blend of uninteresting production that hinders the ability of Lorde’s lyrics to feel impactful. Some of these songs feel more like car-commercial music than Lorde songs. The intensity and urgency that Lorde’s previous works were filled with are lacking here, causing the middle of the album to be a lifeless blob of romantic bleakness. Despite that, a few songs do stand out production-wise, namely “The Path,” “Solar Power” and “California,” which all start the album out with radiant energy that is matched only by the two final songs.
Serving as the thesis statement of the album, “The Path” declares Lorde’s intentions to escape celebrity by allowing the sun to show her the path. And with the following song, “Solar Power,” she does just that. “Solar Power” renounces the technology of our modern age and welcomes the beaches and all the sands that Lorde has come to love.
The “Solar Power” music video plays up the cultish imagery that new age spirituality is commonly associated with and, in tandem with the penultimate song, “Mood Ring,” furthers the self-aware satire of white hippies like Lorde who think they’re saving the world by focusing on inner peace while ignoring all the problems their apathy helps to create.
This focus on self-awareness is fundamentally the primary theme of the album. While spirituality and escapism can help people overcome personal obstacles, letting your life be determined by whatever your zodiac sign, tarot card or mood ring tells you is no way to live your life. The final song, “Oceanic Feeling,” cements this message with lyrics like “Now, the cherry-black lipstick’s gathering dust in a drawer,” and “Oh, was enlightenment found? No, but I’m trying.”
Even if escaping her stressful pop star life and returning to tranquility in New Zealand helped her become a more positive person, she is still ultimately unfulfilled and, like a few tracks on this album, in need of more time in the sun.
