The rumors are now true: Lorde is back with the brand new single “Solar Power,” her first piece of original music since 2017. She confirmed in a newsletter to fans that the album is also called Solar Power; a release date hasn’t been announced. Check out the video, co-directed by Lorde and Joel Kefali, below.
Lorde co-wrote and co-produced “Solar Power” with Jack Antonoff, who also plays guitar and drums on the track. Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo sing backup vocals on the song, too. Another “Solar Power” contributor is drummer Matt Chamberlain, who has recently performed on Bruce Springsteen’s Western Stars and Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways.
“The album is a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalising the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I’m outdoors,” Lorde wrote in her newsletter. “In times of heartache, grief, deep love, or confusion, I look to the natural world for answers. I’ve learnt to breathe out, and tune in. This is what came through.” She added: “I want this album to be your summer companion, the one you pump on the drive to the beach. The one that lingers on your skin like a tan as the months get cooler again.”
In a new interview with Triple J, Lorde confirmed that she has more music videos from the album in store. She said that many of them were filmed on the same secret beach as the clip for “Solar Power.”
Lorde has provided scattered updates on new music since releasing Melodrama in June 2017. In late 2019, she explained that she paused her work due to the death of her dog Pearl. “I need some time to see the good again, to finish making this for you,” she wrote. By the spring of 2020, Lorde told fans she was working with Antonoff in Auckland and Los Angeles, describing the music as “so fucking good.”
