Last week, Lorde returned with the ultraviolet single “Solar Power.” It recalled George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” and Primal Scream’s “Loaded.” It sampled cicadas, and it was an apt love letter to that big ol’ star in the sky from the singer who pronounced on her last album Melodrama that she was going to disappear into the sun. Today, the New Zealand musician released more details about her long-awaited third album: Solar Power is coming August 20, and she’s announced a tour for 2022. She also revealed the track list, which features twelve songs along with two bonus tracks.
Lorde also shared that there will be a weekly (depending if she’s feeling up for it) newsletter called the Solar Institute. The first edition opened with cheers to a happy summer solstice: “For those who don’t know, the summer solstice is the day when the Sun charts her longest course through the sky. It’s the longest and most light day of the year. Cultures have celebrated the solstice for thousands of years— with singing, dancing, ceremonies, fires, and feasts. It’s a day to toast fertility and hope for plentiful harvests. It’s one worth celebrating.”
The pre-sale for her tour begins this week, and you can find more details here. She also explained that there will be no CDs on sale for Solar Power. Rather, she’s created an eco-conscious “music box” that features exclusive content. She wrote, “I decided early on in the process of making this album that I also wanted to create an environmentally kind, forward-thinking alternative to the CD. I wanted this Music Box product to be similar in size, shape and price to a CD, to live alongside it in a retail environment, but be something which stands apart and that’s committed to the evolving nature of a modern album.”
Check out the album track list and tour poster below. Pre-order Solar Power here.
