It only took a fifteen-second video of strutting through Washington Square Park and singing about being seventeen again for the Internet to (un)officially declare a Lorde Summer is on the horizon. After debuting her latest track to a collective of NYU students and Lower East Side baristas during an impromptu listening event at that same New York City park, Lorde would officially usher in her new and long-awaited era with a Thursday release of her fourth album’s lead single, “What Was That.”
As one of music’s most elusive artists, “What Was That” marked Lorde’s first individual piece in four years since her polarizing 2021 record, Solar Power. The psychedelic and folk pop sound that encapsulates Solar Power was seemingly left behind on the beaches of New Zealand (or Antarctica?), as “What Was That” returns to the darker, synth-pop sound of the fan-favorite, Melodrama.
To open the track, the pulsating and syncopated background synths closely resemble the tempo-setting piano chords of her previous hit, “Green Light,” while its rhythm and pacing bring a welcomed sense of tense anticipation. Eventually, this culminates in a liberating sonic release during the post-chorus that features melodic embellishments reminiscent of a softer version of the industrial squeaks littered throughout the latter half of “Hard Feelings/Loveless.” This overall melancholic yet dancefloor-worthy beat plays to the strengths of producers Jim-E Stack and Dan Nigro, with their combined club and rock influences bringing in a new sound that refreshingly contrasts the oversaturated work of Jack Antonoff who produced Lorde’s previous two albums.
Lyrically, Lorde doubled down on the Melodrama parallels by trading her Solar Power cannabis for MDMA. She ruminates on a breakup and reminisces about the moments they shared with the psychedelic, correlating the substance’s high and comedown to the relationship and its dissolution, respectively. Other shared instances, including kissing for hours and trips to Coachella, are similarly haunting as Lorde grapples with healing and equates her desires for this partner to cigarette cravings. The lingering pain ultimately reaches its breaking point when Lorde resoundingly questions the legitimacy of these memories by repeatedly asking, “what was that?” throughout the chorus.
While it is true that sequels hardly ever live up to the original, “What Was That” manages to largely fill the void that Melodrama left behind and Solar Power kept untouched. With that being said, it would discredit Lorde’s creativity and musical talent to assume her upcoming record, Virgin, will simply be a Melodrama part two. Nonetheless, with Virgin slated to be one of 2025’s most anticipated albums and the excitement surrounding “What Was That,” it is undeniable that, just like the self-proclaimed “prettier Jesus” she is, Lorde is back.
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