Lorde has shared “What Was That,” her first original solo track since releasing Solar Power in 2021. The single was teased through a series of cryptic social media posts, voice notes, and audio snippets, and Talia Chetrit shot the cover art. Watch the new song’s video below.
“What Was That” got its live debut on Tuesday when Lorde sang along to the track at New York’s Washington Square Park while playing the song on a small speaker. Hours earlier, the New Zealand pop star sent a mass message via her fan text line that she would appear there: “Meet me in the park Tonight 7pm – x x.” Local police and park rangers quickly shut down the event, however, due to an unmanageable crowd size. Footage from the event is featured in the new video.
Lorde co-wrote “What Was That” with Jim-E Stack, and she co-produced it with Jim-E Stack and Daniel Nigro. Jim-E Stack also provided drums, keyboards, piano, synthesizer, and engineering, while Nigro contributed bass and electric guitar, piano, synthesizer, and engineering. Another notable electric guitarist on the track is Inc. No World’s Andrew Aged.
Solar Power, the highly anticipated follow-up to Lorde’s 2018 album Melodrama, was led by the singles “Solar Power,” “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” and “Mood Ring.” A majority of songs from the record eventually received music videos, including “Fallen Fruit,” “Leader of a New Regime,” “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All),” “The Path,” and “Oceanic Feeling.”
Lorde stayed quiet over the next couple of years, popping up to join Muna onstage at New York’s Terminal 5 in 2023 and contribute a cover of “Take Me to The River” to A24’s Talking Heads tribute album in 2024. Then, last summer, she was tapped by Charli XCX for a remix of the Brat track “Girl, So Confusing,” all but confirming her as the song’s original subject. They’ve since performed “Girl, So Confusing Featuring Lorde” together at Charli XCX’s Madison Square Garden concert and, earlier this month, her Coachella weekend one set.
Read about Lorde in “The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years,” and revisit “The 100 Best Songs of 2024,” featuring “Girl, So Confusing Featuring Lorde” at No. 9.