Words by Vienna Gaspar
Lorde has risen.
Just three days after Easter, Lorde returned to the public eye with a surprise listening party in New York’s Washington Square Park, where she debuted “What Was That,” the lead single off her upcoming album. It’s been four years since the release of her last solo work, and fans had high expectations for this new song. Naturally, Lorde (born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor) exceeded them. The track updates listeners on what the artist has been up to and exhibits her emotional maturity. Her vocals on the song are clear and elevated by synths, which highlight clear influences from producers Dan Nigro and Jim-E Stack. Overall, “What Was That” is the culmination of Lorde’s past three albums, with a new unabashed spark.
Lorde provided context to the song with a post on her website:
LATE 2023. BACK IN NEW YORK. DEEP BREAKUP. STOPPING BIRTH CONTROL. EVERY MEAL A BATTLE. FLASHBACKS AND WAVES. FEELING GRIEF’S VORTEX AND LETTING IT TAKE ME. OPENING MY MOUTH AND RECORDING WHAT FELL OUT. JIMMY SHOUTING IN THE BACKGROUND. A THOUSAND HOURS OF AUDIO EMBROIDERY. DAN TELLING US WHERE THE MOOG BASS SHOULD GO. ANDREW GIVING IT TEETH. THE NIGHT WE FINALLY GOT THE DRUMS RIGHT. THE SOUND OF MY REBIRTH.
The artist sent out a community text to fans located in New York at 4 PM that read “Meet me in the park / Tonight 7pm – x x.” Thousands of excited fans crowded Washington Square Park, leading to the performance being preemptively shut down by the local police due to how crowded the area was. As a result, Lorde posted an update on her Instagram story, stating that “@thepark the cops are shutting us down […] they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry.” Despite this disappointment, loyal fans stuck around and led their own singalongs of older Lorde songs until the artist Blood Orange, rumored to be a producer on the album, showed up. Marching down the streets of New York with a parade of fans trailing behind, he blasted “What Was That” from a large speaker.
Two hours later, Lorde appeared in the park with her security guards to a much smaller crowd of devoted fans. Donning shoes held together by T-rex Tape, chains, male manipulator jeans, and a metallic bikini top under a white shirt, Lorde was visibly transformed from her Solar Power era.
Much to everyone’s excitement, Lorde performed the new single atop a wooden crate, completely surrounded by her fans. Footage from the performance was incorporated into the music video, which was released on Thursday at midnight EST.
The highly anticipated song was received positively by fans and critics alike. Lorde’s online audience has noted that “What Was That” bears similarity to Melodrama in its production and lyrics, which has amplified the excitement surrounding the new album.
As she returns to her pop roots, Lorde reminds us that she’s still That Girl. “What Was That” opens with a slow and consistent beat. Lorde sets the scene: “A place in the city, a chair and a bed / I cover up all the mirrors, I can’t see myself yet.” Listeners are transported into the tender period after a breakup as Lorde admits that she still missed her former lover.
The chorus begins with the lyric, “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.” Again, fans are reminded of her sophomore album Melodrama, which according to Lorde herself was defined by the drug. While reflecting upon memories where she was on MDMA, Lorde produces extremely raw, intimate, and euphoric music. In this regard, “What Was That” is no different from Melodrama. As my friend texted me, “she’s back to doing mdma we are so back.”
Teased in a TikTok posted on April 9, the chorus ends with “Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything / Now, we wake from a dream / Well, baby, what was that?” A parallel to coming down from a high, Lorde suddenly realizes that her relationship isn’t what she thought it was. The last line is punchy and delivered like a statement — signaling that the artist doesn’t really want an answer.
In the second verse, I’m reminded of Lorde’s latest album Solar Power. The album is characterized by themes of grief, healing, acceptance, growth, and nature. In “What Was That” she sings the lyric, “I stare at the painted faces that talk current affairs,” poking fun at the same celebrities that “Mood Ring” parodies.
Lorde pivots from her last album, realizing that it’s not so easy to let go of grudges. She confesses, “I tried (I tried) 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.” The coping mechanisms she implied in Solar Power aren’t enough to get her through this. The repetition of “I tried” and “to let” emphasize her multiple failed attempts at letting go, allowing the listener to feel her desperation at escaping the past.
The triumphant single ends with the realization that the physicality of dancing allows Lorde to process her emotions: “When I’m in the blue light, I can make it alright.” This is another parallel to a lyric from “Perfect Places” off of Melodrama, “but when we’re dancing, I’m alright.” Two records later, Lorde has realized that she doesn’t need to be dancing with anyone else to find peace.
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