Image Courtesy of editor Sofia Shaw.

Singer-songwriter Lorde’s highly anticipated third studio album, “Solar Power”,  dropped on August 20th much to the excitement of many San Luis Obispo High School students. 

However, “Solar Power”  definitely did not live up to the hype surrounding it. 

“It wasn’t bad, it was just different. ‘Pure Heroine’ and ‘Melodrama’ were better, I don’t think the sunniness of ‘Solar Power’ fits Lorde’s vibes. I want music that I can scream along to. I was expecting more” said health and sports editor and senior Talia Doane. 

Lorde branches out from her previous two albums “Pure Heroine” and “Melodrama”, with sunny imagery and reflection on a life once lived.  This wouldn’t be an issue if the songwriting and production on the album were on par with that of its predecessors. The whole album is extremely repetitive, making it hard to distinguish one song from the next. Most of the choruses just consist of Lorde repeating the title of the track over and over again which can make the listening experience feel unengaging. 

The singles that were released: “Solar Power”, “Stoned at the Nail Salon”, and “Mood Ring ” definitely set critical fans up to have low expectations for the album. “Solar Power” possesses incredibly immature lyricism and comes off as incredibly privileged. It doesn’t have an aspect of relatability for her usual demographic. “Stoned at the Nail Salon” has the most interesting songwriting and tone, making it the best of the three singles and the best off the album.  However,  the production is still lackluster especially considering producer Jack Antonoff’s recent track record with singer-songwriter Clairo’s new album “Sling ”, recording artist St.Vincent’s new album “Daddy’s Home” and Lorde’s previous album “Melodrama”.  The last single, “Mood Ring ” was supposed to be a satirical track about wellness culture but still feels like an attempt to profit off of people of color, considering the fact that she never gives the eastern cultures she references any credit. 

“We just recorded this in a room at Electric Lady with the doors wide open. You can hear a lot of sirens because there were a ton of protests that summer.” said Lorde regarding the track “Dominoes” which was recorded during the 2019 climate protests. It seems in poor taste to be profiting off the climate crisis without making any statement of significance on the issue, especially in her position, when the climate crisis disproportionately affects people of color.

Overall, this album is incredibly mediocre and has some questionable messages. It’s leaving many Lorde fans asking: “What happened?”