28-year-old Lorde returns with a nostalgically novel track in “What Was That,” satisfying and exciting longtime fans while alluring new audiences to her masterful sound and lyrics.
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Stream: “What Was That” – Lorde
“Lorde Summer” has been confirmed.
With her first single in four years, Lorde returns with “What Was That.”
Although her last project, Solar Power, was released in 2021, Lorde hasn’t exactly been hiding. In June 2024, she collaborated with Charli XCX on Brat for the “Girl, So Confusing” remix. The track shattered the internet, alongside the alleged feud between the two artists over their similar looks and competitive presence in pop music throughout the 2010s.
Lorde began teasing new music on TikTok in April 2024, later revealing it to be her single “What Was That.” Shortly after the snippet, she performed with Charli XCX at Coachella. Days later, she announced an impromptu concert at Washington Square Park, where she debuted the track.
Solar Power received massive critical acclaim, but many fans lost interest due to its lack of sonic similarity to her first two albums. Her most popular track, “Ribs,” continues to find new audiences among adolescents through social media, becoming a monumental representation of growing pains.
“What Was That” seamlessly blends the dance synth beats fans were nostalgic for with the eclectic maturity her lyrics have gained as her discography expanded.
Much of Lorde’s music explores the loss of childhood innocence and the fleeting joys of aging. “What Was That” emphasizes these themes while providing a nuanced outlook on relationships.
The opening verse immediately draws listeners in, with Lorde’s voice almost in a whisper: “A place in the city / A chair and a bed.” The intensity builds as her voice crescendos: “I cover up all the mirrors / I can’t see myself yet / I wear smoke like a wedding veil.”
A place in the city
A chair and a bed
I cover up all the mirrors
Can’t see myself yet
I wear smoke like a wedding veil
Make a meal I won’t eat
Step out into the street, alone in a sea
It comes over me
Lorde’s honesty is a large part of why her fanbase is so massive and diverse. Middle-aged fathers relate to the same lyrics as their teenage daughters; the transient nature of aging is generational.
The synth builds with the lyrics, Lorde’s voice becoming more urgent and vulnerable. In the chorus, the beat peaks, with the synth blending seamlessly into the drums.
“What Was That” echoes the sound of Melodrama in the chorus, embedding heartbreaking inquiries between percussion reminiscent of cult classic “Supercut” and fan favorite “Green Light.”
She begins the chorus: “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up / We kissed for hours straight, well, baby, what was that? / I remember sayin’ then, ‘This is the best cigarette of my life.’”
Lorde seems to explore a personal relationship in the song, with the chorus foreshadowing an anticipated heartbreak. Her reflection comes not from a curiously hopeful teen but from a mature adult approaching 30.
She continues: “Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm and it knocks me out / I didn’t know then that you’d never be enough, oh / Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything.”
Oh, I’m missing you
Yeah, I’m missing you
And all the things we used to do
MDMA in the back garden,
blow our pupils up
We kissed for hours straight,
well, baby, what was that?
I remember saying then,
“This is the best cigarette of my life”
Well, I want you just like that
Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm
and it knocks me out
I didn’t know then that you’d
never be enough, oh
Since l was seventeen,
I gave you everything
Now we wake from a dream,
well, baby, what was that?
What was that?
Baby, what was that?
Many fans have quickly noted Lorde singing about “being 17” again. Her debut album Pure Heroine, written at age 16, explored her social anxieties. Though released in 2013, it continues to resonate with new generations of adolescents.
“What Was That” upholds the values Lorde established in her debut 12 years ago. The single marks a promising return for the New Zealand singer as she continues her career with a more transparent, vulnerable tone following her reemergence into pop culture through her collaborations with Charli XCX.
Lorde fades in the post-chorus once more, allowing the synth to overtake her voice. She whispers again: “What was that? / Baby, what was that?”
Do you know you’re still with me
When I’m out with my friends?
I stare at their painted faces
They talk current affairs
You had to know this was happening
You weren’t feeling my heat
When I’m in the blue light,
down at Baby’s All Right
I face reality
I try (I try), to let (To let)
Whatever has to pass through me pass through
But this is staying a while, I know
It might not let me go
Fans who adored Solar Power will find familiarity in her verses. Those who celebrate Melodrama will discover emotional adrenaline in the piano. And fans who praise Pure Heroine for its nostalgia will recognize it in her storytelling.
“What Was That” withstands the test of time, proving Lorde to be a generational talent while inviting new audiences in.
MDMA in the back garden,
blow our pupils up
We kissed for hours straight,
well, baby, what was that?
I remember saying then,
“This is the best cigarette of my life”
Well, I want you just like that
Indio haze, we’re in a sandstorm
and it knocks me out
I didn’t know then,
but you’d never be enough, oh
Since l was seventeen,
I gave you everything
Now we wake from a dream,
well, baby, what was that?
What was that?
‘Cause I want you just like that
(When I’m in the blue light,
I can make it alright)
What was that?
(When I’m in the blue light,
I can make it alright)
Baby, what was that?
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Stream: “What Was That” – Lorde
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© Thistle Brown art © Talia Chetrit
© Thistle Brown
art © Talia Chetrit
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