high key this is a response to Solar Power flopping; Lorde I think wanted that record to be a "moment" and it didn't because its introspective cult leader aesthetic was so out of sorts with the collective depression that Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia ended up answering with optimistic escapism.
What Was That?'s marketing is giving over correction to the tune of, specifically, the Girl, So Confusing remix. she wants to go viral and knows we're on a collision for nostalgia minded requelisms? sorta 2014 2.0 except the authentic inauthenticity is much more apparent.
Love this analysis! What do you think of the actual song? I love that in the world of “reheating nachos,” Lorde made a song that sounds uniquely like her. It’s a safe bet to open up a new era by reaching back to what she KNOWS her fans will love and bridge them to whatever is coming next. It’s a smart way to solidify the base after the mixed reception of ‘Solar Power.’ I hope she pushes it further with what comes next.
the actual song strikes me as like this daughter of Ribs and Green Light without the sauce of either? so sorry to say. I think it's good but it doesn't have longevity as a single outside of the chorus lead in going viral on TikTok. it sounds like her, a boring version of her we've heard better before.
I agree that it’s a less punchy Green Light. Lyrics that feel architected to be social media captions like “this is the best cigarette of my life” feels baggy and misplaced. I need to hear it in the club to decide 100% how I feel but I’m looking forward to whatever she’s cooked up with Dev 🙏🏿
You are simply so damn good. "What Was That" is definitely her campaign to remind her audience of who she is again. I also sense she's a little pissed that pop culture waned on her last album cycle.
thank you so much for reading and commenting! YES i do think she's feeling a type of WAY based on how things turned on her. i almost feel like 'what was that' is not about a past lover but about her fans disappointment with fans. 'since I was 17... I gave you everything!' a direct reference to how old she was when she first came on the scene.
i agree with the trepidation here. i'm a die-hard lorde fan though and faithful, so i believe in her, and i did live in solar power the album for a real spell, it really did help me, even if it now it wasn't the first two. i just think it was a tiny bit imperfect (really just that love song, "the man with the axe", threw it off for me. &*) i'm also a "pure heroine" faithful, i still think this is her best in a way that makes everything harder for her now, since ITS 16-year-old DIY was really shockingly powerfully commandingly great, and new. i think she over-disparages it in favor of the "maturity" of "melodrama." BUT have you guys heard "silver moon" and "invisible ink"? they make me feel certain this is a winner. they feel like a new era, of deeper poetry, a kind of integration, perhaps of all her eras. i do wish this track were more confirming, but i don't think "green light" was when it first came out. "solar power" did turn out to be a weak hit. honestly i think it was an actual problem that the chorus melody* had unfortunately been done before, which she acknowledged.
And then on the other side of this you have someone like Coco Jones. I’m not super familiar with her, but I saw a clip this week where Charlamagne told her in an interview that they barely got her album 45 minutes before the interview started. Like how were they supposed to listen to it and say anything meaningful? It's just a shame because you can smell when people around an artist aren’t really backing them properly. And what can you do? It’s such a weird contrast to everything you’re talking about here, where the marketing side is being treated as an art form in itself.
OH I definitely saw that Coco Jones clip. She handled the provocations raised by the hosts gracefully but I do think The Breakfast Club was trying to help her. From Coco’s response, it seemed like she didn’t really have visibility nor wants to be involved with the promo/roll out, and just was ready to trust her team to do whatever. Which I think is different from other artists who seem themselves as more full circle creatives, sound, visuals and live experiences.
"In this new landscape of Instagram captioning, where artists (rightfully) tag all of their collaborators’ handles in a long list of @’s, fans can not only see how the sausage is made but also who is responsible for making it. They can track aesthetics across the other artists the creative team supports."
I feel like this is also clout for the artist themselves. In "Extremely Online" Taylor Lorenz talked about how influencers who weren't receiving brand deals would reverse engineer them by pretending they were. Nobody knows the real numbers but can make assumptions if you're collaborating with XYZ super-brand! I also always say, the first thing I would do if I had even an inch of fame is hire a stylist. It truly is a game-changer (I worked closely with a pair of celebrity stylists and can tell you first hand, they do so much heavy lifting for image-making, like all the people you so perfectly referenced here!). Gorgeous piece, as always Brendon <3
high key this is a response to Solar Power flopping; Lorde I think wanted that record to be a "moment" and it didn't because its introspective cult leader aesthetic was so out of sorts with the collective depression that Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia ended up answering with optimistic escapism.
What Was That?'s marketing is giving over correction to the tune of, specifically, the Girl, So Confusing remix. she wants to go viral and knows we're on a collision for nostalgia minded requelisms? sorta 2014 2.0 except the authentic inauthenticity is much more apparent.
Love this analysis! What do you think of the actual song? I love that in the world of “reheating nachos,” Lorde made a song that sounds uniquely like her. It’s a safe bet to open up a new era by reaching back to what she KNOWS her fans will love and bridge them to whatever is coming next. It’s a smart way to solidify the base after the mixed reception of ‘Solar Power.’ I hope she pushes it further with what comes next.
the actual song strikes me as like this daughter of Ribs and Green Light without the sauce of either? so sorry to say. I think it's good but it doesn't have longevity as a single outside of the chorus lead in going viral on TikTok. it sounds like her, a boring version of her we've heard better before.
I agree that it’s a less punchy Green Light. Lyrics that feel architected to be social media captions like “this is the best cigarette of my life” feels baggy and misplaced. I need to hear it in the club to decide 100% how I feel but I’m looking forward to whatever she’s cooked up with Dev 🙏🏿
Watching Terry circle her on that makeshift podium took me out—absolutely a sausage being made moment.
when the cinematic universes link up 🤯
This is such a brilliant analysis and answered so many questions I didn't even realize I had about this new single.
You are simply so damn good. "What Was That" is definitely her campaign to remind her audience of who she is again. I also sense she's a little pissed that pop culture waned on her last album cycle.
thank you so much for reading and commenting! YES i do think she's feeling a type of WAY based on how things turned on her. i almost feel like 'what was that' is not about a past lover but about her fans disappointment with fans. 'since I was 17... I gave you everything!' a direct reference to how old she was when she first came on the scene.
but i'm so excited to listen, june 27th!
i agree with the trepidation here. i'm a die-hard lorde fan though and faithful, so i believe in her, and i did live in solar power the album for a real spell, it really did help me, even if it now it wasn't the first two. i just think it was a tiny bit imperfect (really just that love song, "the man with the axe", threw it off for me. &*) i'm also a "pure heroine" faithful, i still think this is her best in a way that makes everything harder for her now, since ITS 16-year-old DIY was really shockingly powerfully commandingly great, and new. i think she over-disparages it in favor of the "maturity" of "melodrama." BUT have you guys heard "silver moon" and "invisible ink"? they make me feel certain this is a winner. they feel like a new era, of deeper poetry, a kind of integration, perhaps of all her eras. i do wish this track were more confirming, but i don't think "green light" was when it first came out. "solar power" did turn out to be a weak hit. honestly i think it was an actual problem that the chorus melody* had unfortunately been done before, which she acknowledged.
what do you mean by the 'chorus melody had unfortunately been done before' ?
And then on the other side of this you have someone like Coco Jones. I’m not super familiar with her, but I saw a clip this week where Charlamagne told her in an interview that they barely got her album 45 minutes before the interview started. Like how were they supposed to listen to it and say anything meaningful? It's just a shame because you can smell when people around an artist aren’t really backing them properly. And what can you do? It’s such a weird contrast to everything you’re talking about here, where the marketing side is being treated as an art form in itself.
OH I definitely saw that Coco Jones clip. She handled the provocations raised by the hosts gracefully but I do think The Breakfast Club was trying to help her. From Coco’s response, it seemed like she didn’t really have visibility nor wants to be involved with the promo/roll out, and just was ready to trust her team to do whatever. Which I think is different from other artists who seem themselves as more full circle creatives, sound, visuals and live experiences.
"In this new landscape of Instagram captioning, where artists (rightfully) tag all of their collaborators’ handles in a long list of @’s, fans can not only see how the sausage is made but also who is responsible for making it. They can track aesthetics across the other artists the creative team supports."
I feel like this is also clout for the artist themselves. In "Extremely Online" Taylor Lorenz talked about how influencers who weren't receiving brand deals would reverse engineer them by pretending they were. Nobody knows the real numbers but can make assumptions if you're collaborating with XYZ super-brand! I also always say, the first thing I would do if I had even an inch of fame is hire a stylist. It truly is a game-changer (I worked closely with a pair of celebrity stylists and can tell you first hand, they do so much heavy lifting for image-making, like all the people you so perfectly referenced here!). Gorgeous piece, as always Brendon <3