I am a Lorde fan, and I actually like her third album, Solar Power. To many, this may not seem like a big deal, but within her following and music critics that is quite a divisive statement. Music’s Zeus, Pitchfork, struck down the lighting on the latest album calling it shallow compared to the heavy topics she discusses. “Shouldn’t an album about climate grief and puppy grief and social grief by one of the best pop songwriters of her generation make you feel something (Pitchfork, Anna Gacca)?”
As listeners, we can admit that this album is light compared to the soul-crushing, heavy, synthetic pop tracks of 2017’s Melodrama. Solar Power falls along the lines of 2000’s- esque Sheryl Crow instrumentals meets 60’s Laurel Canyon alum Joni Mitchell but anti California. It's a bit more hippie, a bit more yellow, and a lot more acoustic guitar.
Many have pointed out that this album is too happy in contrast to the stark cold society that has been going on for the past few years. In the U.S. we went through an election cycle, entered and have been stagnant in a pandemic that has claimed lives, gone through a societal revolution that has been echoed through protests, and have been dealing with the climate crisis that only seems to be more evident. We want music that reflects those emotions, lyrics that inspire us to make a change, and melodies that understand the pain that we have endured.
The photograph on the right is credited to the Guardian.
Like many people, I want to wallow in misery and hear dark-sounding music, but also I just want to be happy and take a break from the noise. I mean the background vocals on the title track “Solar Power” give me the MOST serotonin. Can we blame Lorde for writing happy music when New Zealand's government has effectively dealt with the COVID- 19? This album is a distraction and comfort that happy things can still exist in “unprecedented times”.
Lorde is not the first person to make this connection. One of the most popular trends and aesthetics has held nature and peace at its center - cottagecore, which has been popularized through Tiktok and Taylor Swift's recent discography. It's a form of escapism; sure, it isn’t healthy to drown yourself and be completely unaware of the world around you, but isn't it nice to take a break and take a walk outside, feel your shoulders being warmed by the sun, and stare at the clouds for a second?
Photographs from Pinterest, Tumblr, and Taylor Swift album cover.
This album isn't just happy pop with no substance. The messages are there, but how that content comes across is where signals have been missed. For example, the satirical take on wellness culture being gatekept by predominantly white women is lost by listeners in the song "Mood Ring". Instead of seeing the critique on monopolizing eastern practices and finding connections to spirituality, from practices that have been whitewashed to cater to a particular demographic, many have heard it as an anthem for mainstreaming and getting an acceptance into a community that is benefiting at the expense of many people of color.
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Of course, I can't talk about this album without mentioning the 8th track, “Dominoes”. This perhaps is the track that has gotten the most negative attention based on the commentary that Lorde provided. If you have not listened to the song it basically describes the story of a man that was- well, how do I put it nicely?- absolute garbage, but for some reason, he gets to start his life again without repercussions for his actions (his actions being drug use and causing heartbreak). You’re probably thinking this doesn’t sound too bad. It is actually a common story that is echoed through the lives of men in power or who have an abundance of privilege. The controversy kicked in when Lorde said she recorded the song at Electric Lady Studios in New York and liked the sounds of “that summer” (aka police sirens). For many who don't know the summer, she is referring to is the summer of 2020, which erupted in protest for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Photograph from CNN.
Many have claimed that it is insulting to profit off of the cries of people of color for the sake of a pop track. When I listened to the track, I associated the police sirens with the character from Dominoes that she dubs “Mr. Start- Again”. As we saw that summer a lot of the cops that committed atrocious acts got away with a light slap on the wrist and then got to start their lives again at their own will without any actual consequence. Again, this is only my interpretation of the lyrics and sounds. I am not the right person to be able to decide how to critique Lorde’s actions for this track or if that justifies profiting off a very heartbreaking time that is still resounding across the country and to communities of color.
Ultimately, we can only judge music on how it makes us feel, how it observes our time and it’s place in history, and if it was produced by Jack Antonoff or not. Will you go into the light and feel the Solar Power or are you getting burned by the sun? Let us know your thoughts on Solar Power, its controversies, and Lorde as an artist.
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