Lorde Surprise-Releases New Song ‘Solar Power’ With Music Video

The wait is over: On Thursday evening, timed with the solar eclipse, Lorde released her new single “Solar Power” with a music video and announced her highly anticipated third album of the same name.

Her first new music since 2017, “Solar Power” is a track co-written and co-produced with Jack Antonoff that sounds tailor-made for lounging on the beach. With its acoustic guitar, bongo drums, and groovy vibes, it bears a resemblance to both George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” and Antonoff’s production on the St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home, released last month.

Lorde directed the music with Joel Kefali (the same filmmaker behind her “Royals” visual, back in 2013), and the clip sees the pop star frolicking in the New Zealand sand alongside her friends. In a statement in her newsletter, Lorde said that Kefali co-directed the other music videos for the album as well, “building an entire cinematic universe that I can’t wait for you to see.”

“I made something that encapsulates where I’m from — my family, my girlfriends, my outdoors, my constant ruminations, and my unending search for the divine,” she wrote.

While not giving an official release date for the album, she urged fans to look out for teasers: “There’s so much more detail to come — a truly comical amount of detail, honestly. You can look to the natural calendar for clues. I’m trying to listen to what’s out there more, and the vibe I got was that you’re ready for this, that you need it. 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.”