Solar Power (album)

After concluding the North American leg of the Melodrama World Tour in May 2018, Lorde cleared out all her social media, leaving only three Instagram pictures and two tweets visible on her accounts.{{cite magazine |last1=Jones |first1=Abby |title=Lorde Deletes All But a Few Posts on Her Instagram and Twitter: 'Less Is Always More' |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8455208/lorde-deletes-social-media-posts |accessdate=13 July 2020 |magazine=Billboard |date=9 May 2018}} In November 2018, Lorde revealed in an email sent to fans via her newsletter subscription that she started learning how to play the piano and was outlining ideas for her forthcoming record.{{cite news |last1=Loughrey |first1=Clarisse |title=Lorde is teaching herself piano for her new album |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lorde-piano-teach-new-album-fan-email-a8655456.html |accessdate=13 July 2020 |work=The Independent |date=28 November 2018}} The singer made her first public performance since the conclusion of her tour in April 2019 at a benefit concert for victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings, which had occurred the previous month. Later that year, Lorde disclosed that she was indefinitely postponing work on her album due to the death of her dog Pearl, a retriever mix, after he suffered two cardiac arrests.{{cite news |last1=Convery |first1=Stephanie |title='Everything is different': Lorde to delay album release after death of pet dog |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/04/lorde-to-delay-album-release-after-death-of-pet-dog-pearl |accessdate=13 July 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=4 November 2019}}

The singer expressed interest in visiting Antarctica since she was a child. When she was 16, the CEO of government agency Antarctica New Zealand tried to convince Lorde to visit the area. In February 2019, Lorde visited Scott Base, Antarctica for five days with the help of the government agency.{{cite news |last1=Weiner |first1=Jonah |title=Lorde: The Blackbird Spyplane Interview |url=https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/lorde-the-blackbird-spyplane-interview |access-date=4 November 2024 |work=Blackbird Skyplan |date=1 December 2020}} To prepare for the harsh weather conditions, the singer was required to receive vaccinations, pass medical exams, and wear ECW gear before boarding an army jet. While visiting, the singer shadowed scientists, observed orcas, surveyed Adélie penguins, and performed weather recordings. She states that the abrupt transition from leaving the "beach and tans" in New Zealand summer to a "hostile, cold environment and back to the beach", provided influence in developing the themes of the album. The title of the album came to her as she returned home to New Zealand.{{cite news|last=Richards|first=Will|title=Lorde's third album title is inspired by her trip to Antarctica|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/lordes-third-album-title-is-inspired-by-her-trip-to-antarctica-2840210|access-date=11 June 2021|work=NME|date=16 December 2020}}

In March 2020, Australian radio station Triple J revealed the ranking spot of her 2013 song "Royals" on their Hottest 100 of the Decade contest. Lorde called in from the office of her New Zealand record label and revealed that "bits and pieces" of her upcoming album were "starting to take a very exciting shape".{{cite news |last1=Newstead |first1=Al |title="It's very cute" Lorde reflects on her Hottest 100 of the Decade hit 'Royals' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/lorde-hottest-100-decade-royals-react-interview/12056882 |accessdate=7 September 2020 |publisher=abc.net.au |date=14 March 2020}} Two months later, the singer announced via her subscription newsletter that she was finishing Solar Power, still untitled at the time, and that she kept in communication with American producer Jack Antonoff, who assisted in the songwriting and production of her previous record.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Isobel |title=Lorde updates fans on third album release in lengthy email |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lorde-new-album-release-date-jack-antonoff-a9523431.html |accessdate=13 July 2020 |work=The Independent |date=20 May 2020}} In July 2020, American producer Malay, who co-produced three songs on her last album, revealed to Reverb that he flew frequently to New Zealand to work with Lorde before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike their production sessions on Melodrama, Malay and the singer "started from zero", which he described as "really unique and fun".{{cite news |last1=Handley |first1=Joel |title=Interview: Frank Ocean Producer Malay on Making Albums in a Singles Era |url=https://reverb.com/news/interview-frank-ocean-producer-malay-on-making-albums-in-a-singles-era |accessdate=13 July 2020 |work=Reverb |date=8 July 2020}}

File:Cicadoidea.jpg

During a Beats 1 interview with New Zealand radio DJ Zane Lowe in November 2017, Lorde expressed her desire to improve her production and engineering skills within the following two years, and write and produce an entire record by herself within the next five years.{{cite web |title=Lorde on Her 5 Year Plan |url=https://music.apple.com/us/post/sa.b706f150-d4c9-11e7-ae90-f5ff9a0d5832 |website=Apple Music |publisher=Beats 1 |accessdate=13 July 2020}} However, after a tumultuous tour schedule and writing an "intense album", Lorde said she "needed to just go and slow down at home". By early 2019, the singer transitioned into domestic life, where she took an interest in cooking, gardening, swimming and walking.{{Cite news|last=Coscarelli|first=Joe|date=12 August 2021|title=Lorde's Work Here Is Done. Now, She Vibes.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/arts/music/lorde-solar-power.html|url-access=limited|access-date=2021-08-12|issn=0362-4331}} Lorde also began to reconnect with her family and friends in New Zealand, who she missed after experiencing homesickness while on tour. This provided the singer with inspiration for the lyrical content of the album, where she opted to write about the ordinary aspects of her life.{{cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Patrick |title='I am very much an imperfect person': Lorde chills out, checks in with album 'Solar Power' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/08/20/lorde-interview-solar-power-album/8119562002/ |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=USA Today |date=21 August 2021}}

Solar Power was described by Lorde as a "celebration of the natural world."{{cite news |last1=Martua |first1=Felix |title=Celebrating the natural world: Lorde unleashes her 'Solar Power' |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2021/09/03/celebrating-the-natural-world-lorde-unleashes-her-solar-power.html |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=The Jakarta Post |date=6 September 2021}} She compared her experience spending time outdoors and in the sun as seeing God, though not a Christian God, but "something higher".{{cite news |last1=Dean |first1=Jonathan |title=Lorde: how I survived teenage stardom |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/lorde-surviving-teenage-stardom-solar-power-album-s5l0jvp3r |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=The Times |date=22 August 2021}} Furthermore, in an interview with Sean Evans for Hot Ones, the singer called Solar Power a sun worship album.{{cite magazine |last1=Dailey |first1=Hannah |title=Lorde Talks 'Solar Power,' Connection Between Bennifer & Cicadas on 'Hot Ones' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/lorde-hot-ones-solar-power-9607960/ |access-date=1 November 2024 |magazine=Billboard |date=29 July 2021}} While writing the album, Lorde visualized a utopia which she dubbed the "Island".{{cite news |last1=Wass |first1=Mike |last2=Shafer |first2=Ellise |title=How Lorde Eclipsed Expectations and Made Nature Her Muse on 'Solar Power' |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/features/lorde-solar-power-climate-change-melodrama-1235074944/ |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=Variety |date=29 September 2021}} This allowed her to take a different songwriting and intellectual perspective which culminated in her searching for "broader and clearer" viewpoints than her own. She named American singer Joni Mitchell as an influence in writing from this approach. In doing so, Lorde began to observe the changing of the seasons, and compared this to the cycle of life and death.{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Ed |title=Lorde: 'In my life at home, I could not be more invisible to people' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/lorde-in-my-life-at-home-i-could-not-be-more-invisible-to-people-1.4640658 |access-date=1 November 2024 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=14 August 2021}} Initially conceived as an acid record, the singer decided to use cannabis to write material after a negative experience with the drug.{{cite news |last1=Dawson |first1=Brit |title=Lorde thought Solar Power would be an acid album, turns out it's a weed one |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/53746/1/lorde-thought-solar-power-would-be-an-acid-album-turns-out-it-is-a-weed-one |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=Dazed |date=5 August 2021}}

Lorde cites How to Do Nothing, a 2019 self-help book by American writer Jenny Odell, as a source of inspiration when outlining concepts for Solar Power.{{cite news |last1=Haskell |first1=Rob |title=Good Lorde! Behind the Blissed-Out Comeback of a Pop Iconoclast |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/lorde-cover-october-2021 |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=Vogue |date=8 September 2021}} She also found interest in the 1960s counterculture movement and flower child movement, comparing the philosophical, political, and environmental similarities between people from that era and her generation. Her interest in disconnecting from social media led her to communicate with a programmer who blocked websites in the "source code of her devices." This included blocking access to social media applications and web browsers on her phone and YouTube on her laptop and setting her phone to grayscale to combat her phone addiction. She also began to reassess her relationship with fame and its consequences.{{cite news |last1=Daly |first1=Rhian |title=Lorde: "I feel like I can see my world and myself a lot clearer now" |url=https://www.nme.com/big-reads/lorde-cover-interview-2021-solar-power-3029614 |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=NME |date=27 August 2021}}

During production stages, Lorde envisioned creating an album that combined 1960s and 1970s folk and early noughties bubblegum pop music.{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Daniel |title=Lorde says new album 'Solar Power' sounds like a "buzzy mix" of S Club 7, TLC and Fleetwood Mac |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-says-solar-power-sounds-like-a-buzzy-mix-of-s-club-7-tlc-and-fleetwood-mac-2975858 |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=NME |date=23 June 2021}} Her interest in nature translated to the music, which feature sound recordings of cicadas in the majority of the album.{{cite news |last1=Newstread |first1=Al |title=Cartoons, cicadas, onion ring specs: Stuff we learned about Lorde this week |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/lorde-cicadas-onion-rings-solar-power-interview-vogue-hot-ones/13477612 |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=30 July 2024}} She took a liking to the guitar-based music of British group S Club 7, American girl group TLC, Australian-British singer Natalie Imbruglia, British singer Natasha Bedingfield, Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, and British girl group All Saints, as well as the folk rock music of the Mamas and the Papas, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Lorde described the album as her summer at home and when assigning a specific time to the mood of the album, she said it was "like 2 to 5 p.m.—it's golden hour."{{cite news |last1=Shah |first1=Neil |title=Lorde Doesn't Want to Be Pop Royalty Anymore |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lorde-doesnt-want-to-be-pop-royalty-anymore-11629118800 |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=16 September 2021}} Furthermore, she stated in a separate interview that she associated the color gold with the album.{{cite news |last1=Martínez |first1=A |last2=Harrell |first2=Phil |last3=Whitley-Berry |first3=Victoria |title=Lorde, Now Fully Adulting, Embraces a Folksy Analog on 'Solar Power' |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/20/1029340734/lorde-now-fully-adulting-embraces-a-folksy-analog-on-solar-power |access-date=13 November 2024 |work=National Public Radio |date=20 August 2021}} Songs were written on a whiteboard with colour-coded columns for each piece of the album and a long-running note was kept on the singer's phone and notebook to develop the album's ideas further.{{cite news |last1=Hooton |first1=Amanda |title='One of the best things I've ever done': Lorde on the joys of a social-media blackout |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/one-of-the-best-things-i-ve-ever-done-lorde-on-the-joys-of-a-social-media-blackout-20210719-p58av6.html |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=14 August 2021}}

File:Lorde Solar Power censored cover.jpg

The artwork for Solar Power was photographed by Lorde's friend Ophelia Mikkelson Jones on the beach,{{cite news |last1=Gessler |title=Style Liaisons: In Conversation with Artist & Photographer Ophelia Mikkelson Jones |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/viva/fashion/style-liaisons-in-conversation-with-artist-photographer-ophelia-mikkelson-jones/2OBYN7N3P5XOD3JIZJAZ6R5NDA/ |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=The New Zealand Herald |publisher=Viva |date=11 June 2021}} who laid on the sand, while she jumped mid-air over her.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Rebecca |title=Lorde Reveals Background of 'Playful and Sexy' Solar Power Album Cover |url=https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/lorde-reveals-background-of-playful-and-sexy-solar-power-album-cover/ |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=Grazia}} The photograph, captured from below with fisheye lens, shows the singer wearing a yellow rash guard and a swimsuit.{{cite news |last1=Fredette |first1=Meagan |title=Lorde Shares the Meaning Behind the "Sexy, Feral" Cover of Solar Power |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/lorde-album-cover-solar-power |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=W |date=22 June 2021}} The singer's body obstructs the sun view. In an interview with Stephen Colbert on his talk show, Lorde described the image as "a little hardcore" and "feral", but remarked that it also expressed joyfulness, innocence, freedom, and playfulness. In some markets, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Lorde's buttocks are censored by a bright sunlight lens flare.{{cite news |last1=Ewe |first1=Koh |title=Lorde's New Cover Art Has 2 Versions. One Doesn't Have Her Butt. |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/lorde-solar-power-butt-cover-art-censored/ |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=Vice |date=11 June 2021}}

Meagan Fredette of W noted that the artwork expressed her sexuality without succumbing to the male gaze. Similarly, Jenessa Williams, writing for The Forty-Five, wrote that the image posed a "distinct challenge to society", as it tests reactions to "risqué female-made expressions of bodily autonomy."{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Jenessa |title=Lorde's sexy cover art is a leap into a new age of visual empowerment |url=https://thefortyfive.com/opinion/lordes-sexy-cover-art-leap-into-visual-empowerment-solar-power/ |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=The Forty Five |date=11 June 2021}} Williams further compared the artwork to other albums, including Night Time, My Time (2013) by American singer Sky Ferreira, The Haunted Man (2012) by British singer Bat for Lashes, Vulnicura (2015) by Icelandic singer Björk, and Island Life (1985) by Jamaican singer Grace Jones as they present nude aspects of the female body but are used to "say something stronger."

{{multiple image

| image1 = Clairo @ The Greek L.A. 04 02 2022 (52297748798).jpg

| alt1 = A young Caucasian woman in green clothing looking sideways while holding a guitar

| width1 = 160

| image2 = Phoebe Bridgers (41599189180) (cropped 2).jpg

| alt2=A young Caucasian woman looking sideways with blue and purple lights covering her face

| width2 = 166

| footer = American singers Clairo (left) and Phoebe Bridgers (right) provide background vocals on the majority of the album.

}}

Lorde employed a higher vocal range on Solar Power, a departure from the lower vocal register heard in her previous records. The Washington Post stated that her vocals were placed "more centrally in the mix",{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Allison |title=Lorde returns with 'Solar Power', but it's mostly just wind |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/lorde-solar-power-review/2021/08/22/e4b91dda-0378-11ec-8c3f-3526f81b233b_story.html |access-date=6 November 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 August 2021}} while Stereogum described them as "gorgeous", noting that they sounded different from her usual "breathy, heavy intonations" of her previous works. The singer opted for guest vocalists to compliment her multitrack vocals on several tracks on the album, which she had previously avoided doing in her music. American singers Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers as well as New Zealand artists Marlon Williams and Lawrence Arabia contribute background vocals on the majority of the album.

Solar Power is built around guitars and drums, eschewing the 808, synthesiser and electronic-based music of Lorde's previous releases. Unlike Melodrama, which sought production from multiple producers, Lorde recruited only two producers to assist her with the production of the album: Antonoff and Malay. The three worked remotely in between sessions in New Zealand and the United States. The song structures on the album are unconventional and unstructured,{{cite news |last1=Goggins |first1=Joe |title=Lorde - Solar Power review |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/lorde-solar-power |access-date=6 November 2024 |work=The Skinny |date=19 August 2021}} incorporating guitar-based melodies and sparse percussion work.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/lorde-solar-power-review-underpowered-shift-every-girl-outsider/|title=Lorde: Solar Power, review: an underpowered shift from every-girl outsider to over-privileged solipsist|first=Neil|last=McCormick|date=19 August 2021|access-date=19 August 2021|work=The Daily Telegraph}} Despite the album's heavy guitar influences, Lorde remarked that only one 808 was employed during production stages. Several publications noted its minimalist acoustic production; its minimalist approach was compared to her earlier works. Solar Power has been described by critics as an indie folk, folk pop,{{cite news|last1=Bruton|first1=Louise|title=Lorde: Solar Power review – Unsettling, macabre, pretty pop|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/lorde-solar-power-review-unsettling-macabre-pretty-pop-1.4648418|access-date=22 August 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times}} psychedelic folk, and psychedelic pop record, with soft rock elements.

The album's lyrics primarily discuss escapism, retrospection, introspection, and solipsism. Lorde credits her dog Pearl and the 1974 nonfiction narrative book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by American author Annie Dillard for her interest in reconnecting with nature. The book How to Do Nothing influenced the singer to detach from social media. Lorde states that Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement,{{cite news |last1=Roy |first1=Eleanor Ainge |title=Lorde urges climate action ahead of new book on Antarctica trip |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/26/lorde-urges-climate-action-ahead-of-new-book-on-antarctica-trip |access-date=6 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=25 November 2020}} Swedish activist Greta Thunberg's advocacy for climate action, and the recurring California wildfires also informed the record's climate crisis themes, though she denied that Solar Power was her "big climate change record", telling The Guardian: "I'm not a climate activist, I'm a pop star. I stoke the fire of a giant machine, spitting out emissions as I go. There is a lot I don't know." In an interview with Viva, she stated that she was content with making a "weird, sprawling album" that "admittedly asks more questions than it answers."{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Viva |title=Lorde On Life After Death, The Weight Of Expectation & Whether There's Utopia In Her Dystopia - Viva |url=https://www.viva.co.nz/article/culture-travel/lorde-on-life-after-death-the-weight-of-expectation-whether-theres-utopia-in-her-dystopia/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=www.viva.co.nz |date=9 May 2022 |language=en-US}}

File:Chilmark Menemsha Pond Overlook State Road Vineyard Haven Marthas Vineyard.jpg, Massachusetts.]]

The album's first track, "The Path", incorporates flute and drums in its production. The song addresses the pressures of fame and references her attendance at the 2016 Met Gala. Lorde wrote the title track after a day swimming with her friend Cazzie David at Larry David's home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.{{cite news |last1=Handler |first1=Rachel |title=Lorde's 'Solar Power' Was Inspired by Larry David's Vacation Home |url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/06/lordes-solar-power-larry-david-vacation-home.html |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Vulture |date=11 June 2021}} The track draws influences from the 1990 song "Loaded" by Scottish band Primal Scream and the 2000 song "Rock DJ" by English singer Robbie Williams.{{cite magazine |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |title=Lorde Talks 'Solar Power' Origins, Primal Scream's Influence with Zane Lowe |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lorde-solar-power-interview-zane-lowe-1182759/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=11 June 2021}} The third song, "California", begins with a reference to Lorde's 2013 song "Royals" being awarded the Grammy for Song of the Year by American musician Carole King in 2014.{{cite news |last1=Snapes |first1=Laura |title=Billie, Lorde, Lizzo: has being a female pop star in 2021 become unbearable? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/20/billie-eilish-lorde-lizzo-women-music-industry-fame |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=20 August 2021}} She was inspired to write the track after visiting the United States for the first time.{{cite news |last1=Skinner |first1=Tom |title=Watch Lorde perform 'California' and 'Fallen Fruit' for the first time |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-lorde-perform-california-and-fallen-fruit-for-the-first-time-3025186 |access-date=8 November 2024 |work=NME |date=21 August 2021}}

Lorde began writing the fourth track, "Stoned at the Nail Salon", six months after finishing the Melodrama World Tour, and recorded it in Antonoff's home studio. A contemplative folk ballad, the song was borne out of insecure feelings of fading into irrelevance and becoming out of touch with pop culture."{{cite news |last1=Burgham |first1=Lydia |title=Five things you need to know about Lorde's new track Stoned at the Nail Salon |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/lorde-releases-new-song-stoned-at-the-nail-salon-five-things-fans-need-to-know/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=New Zealand Herald |date=21 July 2021 |language=en-NZ}} Track five on the album, "Fallen Fruit", was described by critics as a protest song, serving as a condemnation for prior generations over their inaction on climate change.{{cite news |last1=Snapes |first1=Laura |title=Lorde: 'I'm not a climate activist. I'm a pop star' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/25/lorde-im-only-just-scratching-the-surface-of-my-powers |access-date=21 July 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=25 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720043423/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/25/lorde-im-only-just-scratching-the-surface-of-my-powers |archive-date=20 July 2021 |url-status=live}} It is also the only song on the album to feature an 808 drum machine in its production.{{cite news |last1=Newstead |first1=Al |title=Lorde's Solar Power is a mellow detour from an artist that once defined a decade |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/lorde-solar-power-feature-album-review-mellow-detour-stardom/13507882 |access-date=12 December 2024 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Company |date=20 August 2021}} "Secrets from a Girl (Who's Seen It All)" was written as self-advice to a past version of oneself. Lorde considers the track to be a response to her 2013 song "Ribs", with the former reversing the primary chords of the latter's verses and the lyrics containing future wisdom wrought from lived experience.{{cite magazine |last1=Dailey |first1=Hannah |title=Lorde Revisits Her 'Melodrama' and 'Pure Heroine' Personas in New Music Video: Watch |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lorde-secrets-from-a-girl-video-1235047286/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |magazine=Billboard |date=22 March 2022}} She credits British group Eurythmics and Swedish artist Robyn as influences on the track; the latter contributes a spoken word interlude at the end of the song.{{cite news |last1=Rossignol |first1=Derrick |title=Lorde Gets an Assist from Robyn on the 'Solar Power' Highlight 'Secrets from a Girl (Who's Seen It All)' |url=https://uproxx.com/pop/lorde-robyn-secrets-from-a-girl-solar-power/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Uproxx |date=20 August 2021}}

File:Pant Pratinidhi 1928 Surya Namaskar Sequence.jpgs (pictured).]]

Solar Power{{'}}s B-side drops significantly in tempo, starting with "The Man with the Axe", a ballad that Lorde initially conceived as a poem. She sampled applause from a YouTube video of her performance at the 2018 Corona Capital in Mexico in the song. The following track, "Dominoes", was recorded at Electric Lady Studios with the doors open, which contributed non-diegetic and unintended sounds from outside to the final production, including audible police sirens.{{cite news |last1=Ahlgrim |first1=Callie |title=Every detail and Easter egg you might have missed on Lorde's new album 'Solar Power' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/lorde-solar-power-lyrics-easter-eggs-details-2021-8 |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Insider |date=25 August 2021}} The song has been described as a critique on the tropes of men seeking wellness, gardening, and utopia to hide their misogonistic and toxic nature, with the unnamed man referenced in the lyrics of the song to be one such representation.{{cite news |last1=Cunningham |first1=Kyndall |title=Lorde and Nicole Kidman Take on the Cult-ish Wellness Industry |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/lorde-and-nicole-kidman-take-on-the-cult-ish-wellness-industry/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=The Daily Beast |date=22 August 2021}}

"Big Star" is a tribute to Lorde's dog, Pearl, whose death in late 2019 left the singer experiencing grief. Lorde began writing it on the piano with Pearl at her side.{{cite news |last1=Barton |first1=Monika |title=Solar Power album: Lorde reveals song 'Big Star' written for her dog Pearl that died, more revelations about new record |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2021/08/solar-power-album-lorde-reveals-song-big-star-written-for-her-dog-pearl-that-died-more-revelations-about-new-record.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922083431/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2021/08/solar-power-album-lorde-reveals-song-big-star-written-for-her-dog-pearl-that-died-more-revelations-about-new-record.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 September 2021 |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Newshub |date=20 August 2021}} The penultimate track, "Mood Ring", is a critique of wellness culture and the contrived methods of spiritual connectivity in the digital world.{{cite news |last1=Farrell |first1=Margaret |title=Lorde Undergoes Mystical Transformation and Searches for Feeling in "Mood Ring" Video |url=https://floodmagazine.com/92429/watch-lorde-mood-ring-video/ |access-date=8 November 2024 |work=Flood |date=17 August 2021}} A satire of material pursuits for emotional clarity, the lyrics contain references to popular New Age pseudoscience practices, including crystal therapy, Sun Salutations, sage-burning,{{cite news |last1=Newstead |first1=Al |title=Lorde shares satirical new song/video 'Mood Ring', talks body image |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/lorde-satirical-song-video-mood-ring-solar-power-body-image/13500624 |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Australian Broadcasting Company |date=17 August 2021}} meditation, and astrology. The production of the track was compared to early 2000s music.{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Sam |title=Listen to 'Mood Ring', Lorde's ode to the early 2000s |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/listen-to-lorde-new-single-mood-ring/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Far Out |date=18 August 2021}} The final track, "Oceanic Feeling", discusses Lorde's ruminations on her homeland, her loved ones, time perception, and a future family of her own.{{cite news |last1=Grant |first1=Sarah |title=Watch Lorde's 'Oceanic Feeling': 'Who You See in This Video Is Who I Truly Am' |url=https://www.spin.com/2022/08/lorde-oceanic-feeling/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=Spin |date=19 August 2022}} In the song's concluding lines, Lorde alludes to "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", a 1915 poem published by writer T.S. Eliot.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Viva |title=Lorde on Life After Death, the Weight of Expectation & Whether There's Utopia in Her Dystopia |url=https://www.viva.co.nz/article/culture-travel/lorde-on-life-after-death-the-weight-of-expectation-whether-theres-utopia-in-her-dystopia/ |access-date=5 November 2024 |website=www.viva.co.nz |date=9 May 2022}} Its title comes from Romain Rolland's concept of a feeling of oneness with the world.{{Cite web |title=Lorde, Sally Rooney, and the Year of Millennial Ambivalence |url=https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2021/12/lorde-solar-power-sally-rooney-beautiful-world |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=Portland Monthly |language=en-US}}

File:Lorde Primavera Sound São Paulo.jpg at the Primavera Sound of São Paulo, November 2022]]

Lorde teased new music in 2021 as a gift to fans in an October 2020 Instagram Stories post if they voted in New Zealand's general election as well as the cannabis and euthanasia referendums.{{cite magazine|last=Kaufman|first=Gil|title=Ariana Grande & Lorde Have One Very Good Reason For You to Vote: New Music|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9462450/ariana-grande-teases-new-music-lorde-voting/|access-date=11 June 2021|magazine=Billboard|date=8 October 2020}} The following month, she announced the release of Going South (2021), a memoir documenting her visit to Antarctica in early 2019, stating that the book served as a precursor to her upcoming album.{{cite news|last=Rossignol|first=Derrick|title=Lorde Is Releasing A Book About A Trip She Took To Antarctica|url=https://uproxx.com/pop/lorde-book-antarctica-going-south/|access-date=11 June 2021|work=Uproxx|date=25 November 2020}} On 25 May 2021, Lorde was announced as a headliner for the 2022 Primavera Sound music festival,{{cite magazine|last=Kaufman|first=Gil|title=Lorde Is Headlining the Primavera Sound Festival 2022|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/festivals/9578022/lorde-primavera-sound-festival-2022-lineup/|access-date=11 June 2021|magazine=Billboard|date=25 May 2021}} with the festival's website teasing a new album from the singer.{{cite news|last=Reilly|first=Nick|title=Lorde fans react to news that she'll soon "emerge from her retirement with her third album"|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/lordes-fans-await-comeback-after-singer-is-confirmed-for-primavera-lorde-is-coming-2948198|access-date=11 June 2021|work=NME|date=25 May 2021}}

On 7 June 2021, the artwork and title of the album's title track leaked online.{{cite news|last=Sanchez|first=Gabrielle|title=Lorde announces new single "Solar Power"|url=https://www.avclub.com/lorde-announces-new-single-solar-power-1847049314|access-date=11 June 2021|work=The A.V. Club|date=7 June 2021}} Lorde consequently teased its release on her website alongside a message stating: "Arriving in 2021... Patience is a virtue."{{cite news|last=DeVille|first=Chris|title=Lorde Is Returning To A Pop Mainstream Made In Her Own Image. Where's She Been In The Meantime?|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2150165/lorde-new-album-timeline-solar-power/columns/the-week-in-pop/|access-date=11 June 2021|work=Stereogum|date=7 June 2021}} Following further leaks and an accidental release on select streaming services earlier than scheduled,{{cite news|last=Sanchez|first=Gabrielle|title=Lorde's long-awaited return is here, and it's been a glorious mess|url=https://www.avclub.com/lordes-long-awaited-return-is-here-and-its-been-a-glor-1847072923|access-date=11 June 2021|work=The A.V. Club|date=11 June 2021}} Lorde released the song as the album's lead single on 11 June 2021, coinciding with the solar eclipse.{{cite news|last=Convery|first=Stephanie|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/11/lorde-releases-new-single-solar-power-to-coincide-with-solar-eclipse|title=Lorde releases new single Solar Power to coincide with solar eclipse|access-date=11 June 2021|work=The Guardian|date=11 June 2021}} Lorde further confirmed that her upcoming third album would also be titled Solar Power in her newsletter.{{cite news|last=Rettig|first=James|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2150645/lorde-solar-power/music/|title=Lorde – "Solar Power"|access-date=11 June 2021|work=Stereogum|date=10 June 2021}} On 21 June 2021, the track listing and release date for the album were revealed.{{cite news|last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|last2=Hussey|first2=Allison|date=21 June 2021|title=Lorde Announces Tour, Reveals Release Date and Tracklist for New Album Solar Power|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/lorde-announces-tour-reveals-release-date-and-tracklist-for-new-album-solar-power/|work=Pitchfork|access-date=21 June 2021}} Lorde performed the track for the first time from a rooftop at the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The following month, Lorde released "Stoned at the Nail Salon" as the second single from Solar Power.{{cite news |last1=Curto |first1=Justin |title=Lorde Has a Pretty, Existential Crisis on 'Stoned at the Nail Salon' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/07/lorde-new-song-stoned-at-the-nail-salon.html |access-date=4 November 2024 |work=Vulture |date=21 July 2021}} She performed the song at Late Night with Seth Meyers and further promoted the album with an interview and Day Drinking segment on the show.{{cite magazine |last1=Kaufman |first1=Gil |title=Lorde Needed an IV Fluid Drip After 'Solar Power'-Themed Day Drinking with Seth Meyers |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/lorde-day-drinking-seth-meyers-9604842/ |access-date=4 November 2024 |magazine=Billboard |date=22 July 2021}}

Lorde released "Mood Ring" as the third single from the album on 18 August 2021.{{cite magazine |last1=Shaffer |first1=Claire |title=Lorde Meditates, Consults Her Crystals on New Song 'Mood Ring' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lorde-mood-ring-1213288/ |access-date=4 November 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=17 June 2021}} To promote the album, the singer was scheduled to perform at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards; however, due to a "change in production elements", Lorde cancelled her performance.{{cite magazine |last1=Bowenbank |first1=Starr |title=Here's Why Lorde Canceled Her 'Insanely Amazing' 2021 MTV VMAs Performance |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lorde-explains-why-she-canceled-vmas-performance-2021-9626699/ |access-date=4 November 2024 |magazine=Billboard |date=9 September 2021}} She further explained that the "many-bodied intimate dance performance" she had conceived would not be feasible with current COVID-19 safety protocols in place. "Fallen Fruit" was released as the fourth and final single from the album, coinciding with the official release of the album's bonus tracks, "Helen of Troy" and "Hold No Grudge".{{cite news |last1=Waite |first1=Thom |title=Lorde's beach day goes bad in the video for 'Fallen Fruit' |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/54669/1/lorde-beach-day-goes-bad-in-the-video-for-fallen-fruit-solar-power-deluxe |access-date=4 November 2024 |work=Dazed |date=3 November 2021}} To promote Solar Power, Lorde embarked on a world tour, with several opening acts, including Remi Wolf, Williams, Japanese Breakfast, and Muna. The tour began on 3 April 2022 in Nashville, United States and concluded in Hastings, New Zealand on 21 April 2023.{{cite magazine|last=Blistein|first=Jon|date=21 June 2021|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lorde-new-album-solar-power-release-date-2022-tour-1187145/|title=Lorde Announces New Album 'Solar Power,' Details World Tour|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=21 June 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Newstead |first1=Al |title=Lorde's Australian Solar Power tour has been postponed to 2023 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/lordes-australian-solar-power-tour-has-been-postponed-to-2023/13625260 |access-date=10 November 2021 |work=ABC News |date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110092020/https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/lordes-australian-solar-power-tour-has-been-postponed-to-2023/13625260 |archive-date=10 November 2021 |url-status=live}}

Despite versions of her two previous albums existing for the medium, Lorde did not manufacture jewel case CD releases for Solar Power. Her decision to opt for a disc-less alternative was influenced by her carbon footprint following her last album cycle.{{cite magazine |last1=Lipshutz |first1=Jason |title=Let's Get Biodegradable: Lorde Details CD Alternative for 'Solar Power' & Eco-Conscious New Era |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/lorde-interview-solar-power-cd-music-box-9591079/ |access-date=6 November 2024 |magazine=Billboard |date=23 June 2021}} She stated that she did not want to manufacture something that would "end up in a landfill in 2 years".{{cite magazine|last=Betancourt|first=Bianca|date=21 June 2021|title=Lorde Is Doing Away with CDs for the Release of Her Third Album, Solar Power|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a36791978/why-lorde-will-not-release-solar-power-on-cd/|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|access-date=25 June 2021}} Instead, she released an eco-friendly "music box" with handwritten notes, merchandise designs, bonus songs, additional mailing list updates, exclusive photographs, and other content. In addition, a download card was included for those seeking a physical manifestation of the album in addition to the digital release.

Lorde stated that, with the music box, she wanted to create an "environmentally kind, forward-thinking alternative to the CD" that would provide a high-quality download of the music similar to CD quality.{{cite news|last=Reilly|first=Nick|date=22 June 2021|title=Lorde praised for dropping CDs and offering "discless" version of new album|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-praised-for-dropping-cds-and-offering-discless-version-of-new-album-2975387|website=NME|access-date=25 June 2021}} Each box was made with no plastic, only paper and cardboard waste and is biodegradable within three months. Music trade publication Hits noted that the traditional CDs and their jewel cases are plastic materials that pollute the world's oceans. Vinyl LPs of the album were pressed, despite some researchers noting that vinyl records are also plastic products, and that although digital audio files appear virtual, they depend on "infrastructures of data storage, processing and transmission" that can lead to "potentially higher greenhouse gas emissions than the petrochemical plastics used in the production of more obviously physical formats".{{cite news|last=Devine|first=Kyle|date=28 January 2020|title=Nightmares on wax: the environmental impact of the vinyl revival|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/28/vinyl-record-revival-environmental-impact-music-industry-streaming|website=The Guardian|access-date=16 December 2021}}

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 6.7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/12972/Lorde-Solar-Power.aspx|title=Solar Power by Lorde|website=AnyDecentMusic?|accessdate=22 August 2021}}

| MC = 69/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/solar-power/lorde|title=Solar Power by Lorde|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=3 September 2021}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/solar-power-mw0003548307/|title=Solar Power – Lorde|publisher=AllMusic|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|date=20 August 2021|access-date=26 August 2021}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = C{{Cite web|first=Gabrielle|last=Sanchez|title=Lorde disappears into the sun on Solar Power|url=https://www.avclub.com/lorde-disappears-into-the-sun-on-solar-power-1847546001|website=The A.V. Club|date=25 August 2021|accessdate=25 August 2021}}

| rev3 = Clash

| rev3score = 9/10

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = B

| rev5 = Evening Standard

| rev5score = {{Rating|2|5}}

| rev6 = The Guardian

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev7 = The Independent

| rev7score = {{Rating|2|5}}

| rev8 = NME

| rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev9 = Pitchfork

| rev9score = 6.8/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lorde-solar-power/|title=Lorde: Solar Power|work=Pitchfork|last=Gaca|first=Anna|date=20 August 2021|access-date=20 August 2021}}

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

| rev10score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

}}

Solar Power polarised music critics upon release.{{Cite web|last=Collins|first=Simon|date=20 August 2021|title=Lorde's new album Solar Power divides critics, earning both rave and negative reviews|url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/music/lordes-new-album-solar-power-divides-critics-earning-both-rave-and-negative-reviews-ng-b881975644z|access-date=20 August 2021|website=The West Australian|language=en|url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lorde-solar-power-reviews-roundup-b1906018.html|title=Lorde – Solar Power reviews: Critics torn over the year's most divisive album|first=Sam|last=Moore|date=20 August 2021|access-date=20 August 2021|work=The Independent}} On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from several publications, Solar Power received an average score of 69, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".

Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic hailed the album as a "near masterpiece", admiring its social critique and simplistic instrumentation,{{Cite web|last=Kornhaber|first=Spencer|date=19 August 2021|title=The Pop Star Who's Redefining the Word 'Basic'|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/08/lorde-solar-power-review/619808/|access-date=19 August 2021|website=The Atlantic|language=en}} while NME critic Rhian Daly called it a "dazzling hat-trick from a master of her craft".{{cite web|last=Daly|first=Rhian|date=20 August 2021|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lorde-solar-power-review-3023597|title=Lorde – 'Solar Power' review: a dazzling hat-trick from a master of her craft|website=NME|access-date=20 August 2021}} Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times described Solar Power as a "low-key" album depicting Lorde's burdens of fame.{{Cite web|first=Mikael|last=Wood|date=19 August 2021|title=Review: Lorde's spare musings on the burden of fame don't sound like hits. That'll suit her just fine|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-08-19/lorde-solar-power-album-review|access-date=19 August 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}} Rolling Stone critic Brittany Spanos branded it a "smooth and beachy" record that has Lorde search for peace whilst meandering through her quarter-life crisis.{{Cite magazine|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=19 August 2021|title=Lorde Vibes Through a Quarter-Life Crisis on 'Solar Power'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lorde-vibes-through-a-quarter-life-crisis-on-solar-power-1213838/amp/|access-date=19 August 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone}} Chris Willman of Variety found the album's lyrics compelling and its melodies concise.{{Cite web|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=20 August 2021|title=Lorde's 'Solar Power' Finds a Once-Dark Star Tripping the Daylight Fantastic: Album Review|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/reviews/lorde-solar-power-album-review-1235045295/|access-date=20 August 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}

Observing influences from the Doors and the Mamas & the Papas, Lucy Harbron of Clash underlined Solar Power was not a "fully sun-soaked album", but rather "sun-stroked", delivering her usual introspection under a "bright and hazy" tone.{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/lorde-solar-power|title=Lorde - Solar Power|date=19 August 2021|access-date=20 August 2021|work=Clash}} Lean Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said it had a subdued quality, delving into ease and "cool observation".{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/lorde-solar-power-album-review/|title=Solar Power review: Lorde retreats into feathery folk|first=Leah|last=Greenblatt|date=19 August 2021|access-date=19 August 2021|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Paste reviewer Matt Mitchell wrote that despite eschewing crossover appeal and hooks, the album is a "necessary record put together by someone hunting for inner peace".{{Cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Matt|date=20 August 2021|title=Lorde's Solar Power Is a Feel-Good Flex That Rebels Against the Traditions of Contemporary Pop|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/lorde/solar-power-album-review/|access-date=20 August 2021|website=Paste|language=en}}

Some reviews were more critical of Solar Power. Music journalist Alexis Petridis, writing for The Guardian, stated Solar Power sounds "undernourished" at its worst moments, but delivers overall.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/19/lorde-solar-power-review-universal|title=Lorde: Solar Power review – waking up from the nightmare of fame|first=Alexis|last=Petridis|date=19 August 2021|access-date=19 August 2021|work=The Guardian}} Sal Cinquemani of Slant appreciated its acoustic composition, but felt it lost momentum in the second half.{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/lorde-solar-power-album-review/|title=Review: With Solar Power, Lorde Unplugs by Tapping into the World Around Her|first=Sal|last=Cinquemani|date=19 August 2021|access-date=19 August 2021|work=Slant}} Bobby Olivier of Spin complimented Lorde's deft songwriting, but labelled Solar Power her "least vital project".{{Cite web|last=Olivier|first=Bobby|date=19 August 2021|title=Lorde Escapes to the Beach on New Album Solar Power|url=https://www.spin.com/2021/08/lorde-solar-power-album-review/|access-date=19 August 2021|website=Spin}} In her Consequence review, Abby Jones called it "pleasant background music", citing static production and clumsy pop culture references as its flaws, nevertheless.{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Abby|date=20 August 2021|title=With Solar Power, Lorde Flies a Little Too Close to the Sun|url=https://consequence.net/2021/08/solar-power-review-lorde-album/|access-date=20 August 2021|website=Consequence|language=en-US}}

The Sydney Morning Herald{{'s}} Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen noted that although Solar Power is "a perfectly fine record", it is an "anticlimax" that is lacking the "power and passion" of her past work.{{Cite web|last=Nguyen|first=Giselle Au-Nhien|date=19 August 2021|title=Lorde's new album is beachy, relaxed - and ultimately an anticlimax|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/lorde-s-new-album-is-beachy-relaxed-and-ultimately-an-anticlimax-20210819-p58k24.html|access-date=19 August 2021|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}} Stereogum critic James Rettig admired Lorde's voice and certain parts of the album which he thought were catchy, but thought the holistic concept was "muddy", lacking "deeper engagement", and sometimes "too laid back" and indistinct.{{Cite web|last=Rettig|first=James|date=19 August 2021|title=Premature Evaluation: Lorde's 'Solar Power'|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2157457/lorde-solar-power-album-review/reviews/premature-evaluation/|access-date=19 August 2021|website=Stereogum|language=en}} Evening Standard{{'s}} David Smyth, The Independent{{'s}} Helen Brown, and David Cobbald of The Line of Best Fit all gave two star reviews: Smyth felt the songs on Solar Power "seem to take pride in their lack of ambition",{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/lorde-solar-power-album-review-musical-resignation-letter-b951183.html|title=Lorde: Solar Power album review - this musical resignation letter shows she's already checked out|website=Evening Standard|language=en-GB|last=Smyth|first=David|date=19 August 2021|access-date=19 August 2021}} Brown dismissed it as a disappointing, tuneless "collection of heat haze hippy noodlings", deficit of memorable hooks,{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/lorde-review-solar-power-b1904612.html|title=Lorde review, Solar Power: Disappointing, detached and sun-bleached of melody|first=Helen|last=Brown|date=19 August 2021|access-date=19 August 2021|work=The Independent}} while Cobbald deemed it Lorde's fall from grace.{{Cite web|last=Cobbald|first=David|date=20 August 2021|title=Lorde's Solar Power is a lacklustre eclipse|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/lorde-solar-power-album-review|access-date=20 August 2021|website=The Line of Best Fit|language=en}}

Two weeks before its release on 20 August 2021, Solar Power rose to number one on the Apple Music pre-add chart for the week dated 30 July 2021 to 5 August 2021.{{Cite magazine|last=Blake|first=Emily|date=10 August 2021|title=Lorde's 'Solar Power' Launches to Number One on Apple Music Pre-Add Chart|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lordes-solar-power-launches-to-number-one-on-apple-music-pre-add-chart-1210090/|access-date=11 August 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}} In the United States, Solar Power entered the Billboard 200 chart at number five with 56,000 album-equivalent units moved, consisting of 34,000 album sales, and 22,000 units calculated from the 28.38 million on-demand streams the album earned in its opening week.{{Cite magazine|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|date=29 August 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart After Vinyl Release|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9621697/olivia-rodrigo-sour-returns-number-one-billboard-200-albums-chart-2|access-date=30 August 2021|magazine=Billboard|language=en}} Hits criticised Billboard for not counting the sales of the "Music Box" for the Billboard 200 chart; their own Hits Top 50 chart and the Rolling Stone Top 200 chart included the music box sales and placed Solar Power at number three on their charts.{{cite web|url=https://hitsdailydouble.com/sales_plus_streaming |title=HITS Top 50 |date=27 August 2021 |access-date=10 September 2021 |publisher=Hits Daily Double|url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828012218/https://hitsdailydouble.com/sales_plus_streaming |archive-date=28 August 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/charts/albums/2021-08-20/ |title=Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums |access-date=10 September 2021 |publisher=Rolling Stone |archive-date=30 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830134517/https://www.rollingstone.com/charts/albums/2021-08-20/ |url-status=dead }} According to Billboard{{'s}} long-standing rule, a box set must contain a physical copy of the album.{{cite web|url=https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=328012 |title=Rumor Mill: the Bible's Power Failure |date=27 August 2021 |access-date=10 September 2021 |publisher=Hits Daily Double}} It also reached number one on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart.{{Cite magazine|title=Lorde|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lorde/chart-history/alt/|access-date=2021-10-19|magazine=Billboard}} Elsewhere, Solar Power debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart{{Cite web|title=australian-charts.com - Lorde - Solar Power|url=https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Lorde&titel=Solar+Power&cat=a|access-date=2021-10-19|website=australian-charts.com}} and stayed on the chart for six weeks. It also reached number one in New Zealand{{Cite web|title=The Official New Zealand Music Chart|url=https://nztop40.co.nz/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=The Official NZ Music Chart|language=en|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324160641/https://nztop40.co.nz/|url-status=dead}} and the top ten in 14 countries, including Canada and United Kingdom,{{Cite magazine|title=Lorde|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lorde/chart-history/cna/|access-date=2021-10-19|magazine=Billboard}} reaching number two in the latter country's chart.{{Cite web|title=Official Albums Chart Top 100 {{!}} Official Charts Company|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20210827/7502/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en}}

{{Main|Te Ao Mārama (EP)}}

On 9 September 2021, Lorde released a five-song companion EP to Solar Power titled Te Ao Mārama, meaning "World of Light" in Māori. The EP features five re-recordings of songs from Solar Power sung in the Māori language.{{cite web |last1=Hayden |first1=Leonie |title='I'm beginning a journey': The inside story of Lorde's surprise mini-album in te reo Māori |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/09-09-2021/lorde-interview-maori-lyrics-solar-power/ |website=The Spinoff |access-date=9 September 2021 |date=9 September 2021}} Although Lorde herself is not Māori, she worked with Māori language experts, including Sir Tīmoti Kāretu, and collaborated with Kiwi singers Bic Runga and Marlon Williams to highlight "the long history of injustices that Maori language and culture has suffered and the inequities that persist today, specifically in New Zealand's music industry". Proceeds from the EP were donated to the charities Forest and Bird and Te Hua Kawariki Charitable Trust.{{cite web |last=Treisman|first=Rachel|title=Lorde Dropped A Surprise Mini-Album Of 'Solar Power' Tracks In The Māori Language|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035517517/lorde-maori-language-album-solar-power|publisher=NPR|date=9 September 2021}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Solar Power {{nobold|– Standard edition}}

| total_length = 43:09

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = The Path

| lyrics1 = Ella Yelich-O'Connor

| music1 = Yelich-O'Connor

| length1 = 3:41

| extra1 = {{hlist|Lorde|Jack Antonoff||Malay}}

| title2 = Solar Power

| lyrics2 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music2 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length2 = 3:13

| extra2 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff|Malay{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| title3 = California

| lyrics3 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music3 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length3 = 3:11

| extra3 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title4 = Stoned at the Nail Salon

| lyrics4 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music4 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length4 = 4:26

| extra4 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title5 = Fallen Fruit

| lyrics5 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music5 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length5 = 3:58

| extra5 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title6 = Secrets from a Girl (Who's Seen It All)

| lyrics6 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff|Robin Carlsson}}

| music6 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length6 = 3:38

| extra6 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title7 = The Man with the Axe

| lyrics7 = Yelich-O'Connor

| music7 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Malay}}

| length7 = 4:15

| extra7 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff|Malay}}

| title8 = Dominoes

| lyrics8 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music8 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length8 = 2:03

| extra8 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title9 = Big Star

| lyrics9 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music9 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length9 = 2:47

| extra9 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title10 = Leader of a New Regime

| lyrics10 = Yelich-O'Connor

| music10 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Malay}}

| length10 = 1:33

| extra10 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff|Malay}}

| title11 = Mood Ring

| lyrics11 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music11 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| length11 = 3:45

| extra11 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| title12 = Oceanic Feeling

| lyrics12 = Yelich-O'Connor

| music12 = Yelich-O'Connor

| length12 = 6:39

| extra12 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Solar Power {{nobold|– Apple Music edition (bonus track)}}

| extra_column = Director(s)

| total_length = 46:22

| title13 = Solar Power

| note13 = music video

| extra13 = {{hlist|Lorde|Joel Kefali}}

| length13 = 3:13

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Solar Power {{nobold|– Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 50:28

| title13 = Helen of Troy

| lyrics13 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music13 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra13 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff}}

| length13 = 2:51

| title14 = Hold No Grudge

| lyrics14 = Yelich-O'Connor

| music14 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Malay}}

| extra14 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff|Malay}}

| length14 = 4:28

}}

• {{small|{{note|a|a}}}} signifies an additional producer

Adapted from Tidal.{{cite web|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/194384501/credits|title=Credits / Solar Power / Lorde|website=Tidal|accessdate=21 August 2021}}

• Lorde – vocals
• Jack Antonoff – bass, electric guitar (all tracks); acoustic guitar (1–6, 8, 11–14), drums (1–3, 6, 7, 11, 12), keyboards (1, 5–8, 11, 13), Mellotron (1, 4–6, 10), Farfisa (3, 4, 8, 10, 12), percussion (1, 2, 5, 12), piano (1, 3–5), programming (1, 5–8, 11, 12, 14), Wurlitzer electric piano (1, 5, 6), 12-string acoustic guitar (2, 5, 6)
• Clairo – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11)
• Lawrence Arabia – background vocals (1, 4, 5, 10, 11)
• Marlon Williams – background vocals (1, 4, 5, 10–12)
• Phoebe Bridgers – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11)
• Malay – bass (1, 5–7, 10, 13), acoustic guitar (7, 10, 14), programming (7), keyboards (10, 14), piano (14)
• Matt Chamberlain – drums (1–3, 6, 11–14), percussion (2, 12–14), programming (2, 11–14)
• Evan Smith – flute (1, 3, 5, 12–), saxophone (1–3, 5, 12–13), keyboards (13)
• Cole Kamen-Green – trumpet (2)
• Robyn – vocals (6)
• Bobby Hawk – violin (9, 10)

• Lorde – production
• Jack Antonoff – production (all tracks), mixing (4, 5, 7–10, 13)
• Malay – production (1, 7, 10, 14)
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (1–3, 6, 11, 12, 14)
• Laura Sisk – mixing (4, 5, 7–10, 13)
• Will Quinnell – mastering assistance
• Matt Wolach – mixing assistance (2, 3, 5, 14)

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-2}}

{{Col-2}}

{{Col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Lorde|title=Solar Power|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2020|relmonth=8|domestic=true|id=2023-04-07|source=newchart|access-date=2024-12-03|refname="NZ cert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|title=Solar Power|artist=Lorde|type=album|award=Silver|id=20447-3846-1|access-date=October 21, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true | nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|2261653|Solar Power}}

{{Lorde}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2021 albums

Category:Lorde albums

Category:Albums produced by Jack Antonoff

Category:Albums produced by Lorde

Category:Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios

Category:Albums recorded at Conway Recording Studios

Category:Albums recorded at Roundhead Studios

Category:Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Albums about climate change

Category:Folk-pop albums

Category:Indie folk albums by New Zealand artists

Category:Pop albums by New Zealand artists

Category:Psychedelic folk albums

Category:Cannabis music

Category:Psychedelic pop albums