“Solar Power” Review: like a splash of sunshine on a rainy day

“Solar Power” is Lorde’s third studio album, and it delivers everything the sunny title suggests. Having never listened to Lorde much before, I went into my listening with low expectations. To my surprise, however, the album left me with the feeling of being on a beach after a sunny day, contemplating my childhood and climate change.  Stylistically, some of her musical choices left me wishing I could hear her voice and lyrics more, but, ultimately, I appreciated the lasting vibe the album leaves you with. “Solar Power” runs one beautiful song into another, and it promotes a storytelling style that makes you feel like you are right there in the room with Lorde as she tells you her deepest secrets by song. In the end, it felt like a refreshing ocean wave had washed over my afternoon.

With that, here is my ranking and vibe check of the most memorable songs off the album:

“The Path” – Rating: 6/10

The album opens with three minutes and 41 seconds of wishing the sun would show a path. A sweet song for how sad the lyrics can be at times, it evokes a feeling of enjoyable mystery and suspense. Lorde includes details like a “fork in [her] purse to take home to [her] mother,” making you feel as if you are there with the singer during every instance. The song also touches on the idea of not assuming that celebrities are role models. Lorde poignantly sings, “Now you’re looking for a saviour. Well, that’s not me,” ruminating on the intense pressure put on artists to be role models to their fans. The song also asks the sun to take over and show us all the path, whatever that means to the listener. For Lorde, this  seems to be the path to finally finding herself.

Best lyric: “Now I’m…caught in the complex divorce of the seasons”

“California” – Rating: 9/10

I’m a native Californian, and I couldn’t help becoming defensive of my home state as Lorde sang over and over, “Don’t want that California love.” However, once I got over my state pride, I was enthralled by Lorde’s adept ability to land the metaphor. It is about saying goodbye to parties, drinking, and droughts, things that are stereotypically Hollywood and Californian. As someone from New Zealand, Lorde offers a new perspective on one of the most populated and mythologized states in America. Overall, the song is not about California itself, but the feelings the state evokes. I can’t help but fall in love with this perfectly-landed metaphor about what makes simple things in life beautiful.

Best lyric: “Now I’ve spent thousands on you darling, all the hotels and the jets”

“Stoned at the Nail Salon” – Rating: 7/10

“Stoned at the Nail Salon” is about getting back to normal life after spending years on tours. Additionally, it focuses on a doomed-from-the-start relationship, along with the wistfulness of growing up and realizing you didn’t spend enough time with the people you love. All of these stories end with Lorde “stoned at the nail salon” again. Overall, the multiple narratives are beautiful but almost contain too much detail for a four-minute and 26-second song. However, despite its faults, it evokes the feelings of starry eyes and wistfulness that Lorde is so adroit at pinpointing. With lyrics like, “My hot blood’s been running for so many summers now / It’s time to cool it down, wherever that leads” describing the emotional pain of boredom, Lorde crafted “Stoned at the Nail Salon” into a very relatable song filled with pulsating stories.

Best lyric: “‘Cause all the beautiful girls, they will fade like the roses”

“Fallen Fruit” – Rating: 7/10

“Fallen Fruit” is Lorde’s most striking song about climate change out of an album with more than a few. With a reference to the Garden of Eden transforming into halls of “fallen fruit,” Lorde uses sweetly powerful lyrics to describe what might happen if we don’t drastically change our ways. Besides being a beautiful song, “Fallen Fruit” will make you think and hit deep.

Best lyric: “And we will walk together, Psychedelic garlands in our hair, Through the halls of splendor where the apple trees all grew, You’ll leave us dancing on the fallen fruit”

“Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” – Rating: 11/10

It’s impossible for me to not give an 11/10 to this song. It’s the perfect mix of angst, happiness and wistfulness. Within the lyrics,  Lorde speaks about what she wants her teenage self to know. As her fan base is made up of many teenagers, to me, it seems that she is also talking to them indirectly. As someone who became famous incredibly young, Lorde feels she has already “seen it all” by the ripe old age of 24. She sings, “Everybody wants the best for ya, but you gotta want it for yourself, my love, you can take ‘em if you want ‘em, these are just secret from a girl, who’s seen it all”  as a way to tell her younger self to stay true to what she wants out of life. 

Best lyric: “Couldn’t wait to turn fifteen, then you blink and it’s been ten years”

“The Man with the Axe” – Rating: 8/10

I was surprised by the emotions “The Man with the Axe” left with me. The title sounds like a heavy breakup song, but it’s actually a kind of love song to an ex. I find this refreshing. With lyrics like, “We’ve been through so many hard times, I’m writing a love song for you baby,” this song takes you from nostalgic sadness to a curious and surprising ending. Lyrically, this might be one of her greatest songs to date, and I like the twist on the cliché of the usual sad song it creates.

Best lyric: “I’ve got hundreds of gowns, I’ve got paintings in frames, and a throat that fills with panic every festival day”

“Leader of a New Regime” – Rating: 3/10

My first reaction: “Leader of a New Regime” sounds like a death march. My second reaction: that’s what it’s supposed to sound like. A guttural response to the state of our world, with an emphasis on climate change, this song imagines our future if we stay complacent. Though extremely well-written, Lorde’s message comes across stronger and clearer in “Fallen Fruit.” And, apparently, I don’t like short songs.

Best lyric: “We need a leader of a new regime”

“Mood Ring” – Rating: 3/10

I love Lorde’s comment in this song on people needing mood rings to understand their own emotions. To Lorde, sometimes it is so hard to figure out your feelings, a mood ring would just be easier. With the nod to mood rings comes a plethora of other early 2000’s references. It even sounds like it has a Y2K inspiration in the way it was produced. Overall, I enjoyed it but didn’t find anything striking within the lyrics. 

Best lyric: “I keep looking at my mood ring, tell me how I’m feeling”