Hands out of the sunroof during a sunset drive. Sprinting through the city late at night. If there was any artist who could capture the free-flying fear and fresh independence of adolescence in the 2010s, it was Lorde. Now, 28, the New Zealand pop star is returning to her roots with her latest single, “What Was That.” Released on April 24, this single marks her first solo track in four years.
The track, produced by Jim E-Stack and Dan Nigro, begins quietly. A rhythmically thrumming guitar gives way to Lorde’s hushed lyrics as she sings about self-induced isolation, “I cover up all the mirrors / I can’t see myself yet.”
Within seconds, it is clear the track is a drastic departure from the blissful, sunny and half-lidded daze of Lorde’s last record, “Solar Power” (2021). For Lorde, “What Was That” is a return to the subtle ferocity of her moody 2017 record “Melodrama.” She replaces the wistful guitars and airy melodies from her last LP with her signature synths and seething incantations.
As her voice layers, building up to the chorus, the steady synth morphs into a hypnotic, pulsing bass. Lorde describes fleeting moments of ecstasy, “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up,” calling back to teenage years that are gone but not yet forgotten. The chorus’ production sizzles with electricity as Lorde processes the haze of teenagerhood. “Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything / Now, we wake from a dream, well, baby, what was that?” she sings with the scorching intensity of someone who has lost their wallet and is late for the train, breathlessly recalling years passed over a metallic screeching reminiscent of that on her 2017 track “Hard Feelings / Loveless.”
As she twists through her verses, Lorde is characteristically expressive, even more so than usual, utilizing a wider register than she did in her teenage years. “What Was That” is more melodic than most of “Melodrama,” but it doesn't lose the same cynicism. It sheds the saccharine “Solar Power” vision of island life as a global idol and returns to the shameless retaliation of a girl misunderstood.
The music video, released alongside the track, is similarly grimey, beginning with Lorde walking through New York City in a white button-up and grungy jeans, donning messy hair. Just like her breathless lyrics, Lorde is racing through the streets with a freneticism that mirrors the song’s urgency — and of her revelatory reflections on moments in her youth.
Lorde recorded the final scene of the video the night of the track’s release. Earlier in the day on April 23, she posted on her Instagram story, inviting her fans to watch her sing “What Was That” live for the first time in Washington Square Park. After charging through the city, the video concludes with real-time footage from this live performance. Hopping on a stage amidst throngs of fans, Lorde unbuttons her shirt as the camera circles her, revealing a deep blue and purple bikini. It is a cheeky display of the colors from the cover art of “Melodrama.” And it signals that her upcoming album — will be a mature, emotional and provocative undertaking.
There is a palpable synergy between her and the crowd in New York as they thrash and scream along to the chorus. “What Was That” may be about a lost lover, but it also represents the relationship between her and her fans. She has given them everything from a young age, and now, a decade into her career, she can spontaneously appear in a park and a relentless crowd will come to watch her.
Hunter is a freshman from Georgia. He loves writing about music, politics, and public education. In his free time, Hunter plays piano, runs, and spends far too long crafting Spotify playlists.
