Lorde’s ‘What Was That’ is resurrecting indie sleaze, reflecting the cyclical nature of youth and introducing a musical rebirth. Four years after Solar Power, this marks her first solo release, as well as following a surprise Coachella cameo with Charli XCX. As a result, fans are ready to embrace a fully fledged ‘Lorde summer’.
In a voice note, Lorde called ‘What Was That’ “the music of her rebirth”. Meanwhile, the simplicity of the music video—her cycling through the city on a vintage bike becomes a quiet metaphor for transformation.
‘What Was That’ takes on a dance-pop style. It is emotionally raw and introspective, as Lorde navigates a post-heartbreak world. She sings, “I cover up all the mirrors, can’t see myself yet” and “Make a meal I won’t eat. / Step out into the street, alone in a sea. It comes over me”. The lyrics capture the complex emotions of disconnection following a heartbreak. It also hints at the concept of body image, echoing her line “I’ve been at war with my body” in the ‘Girl, so confusing’ remix.
Later, she sings, “When I’m in the blue light, down at Baby’s All Right, I face reality”. The Brooklyn venue becomes a symbolic location of what once was nightlife and illusion, now repurposed as a place of reckoning. There is tension between a past version of Lorde that once felt invincible in those spaces and the one now confronting the aftermath.
Furthermore, the ‘blue light’ becomes a recurring symbol with the later lyric: “When I’m in the blue light, I can make it alright”. It is a subtle reference to her 2017 song ‘Green Light’, which represents the freedom she gave herself to move on.
In particular, the chorus introduces the themes of nature and escapism. She sings, “MDMA in the back garden” and “Indio Haze, we’re in a sandstorm”. These images conjure a relationship defined by intensity, chemical highs, and fleeting clarity. Her mention of Coachella hints at her connection with that cultural space. She first debuted Pure Heroine there as a teen. Now, her surprise return this year, shows how the venue reflects past selves.
At its core, ‘What Was That’ is an anthem of grief—a past love, a past self, a fast-lived decade. “Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything / Now we wake from a dream”. The line suggests she is reclaiming her identity—after years shaped by another person and by fame itself.
The repeated question “What was that?” lingers like a morning after realisation. The singer is left to untangle reality from illusion, waking up from a dream-like, disorienting chapter. Finally, Lorde can see herself clearly under the blue light.
Words by Grace (Culhane) Rodulfo
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