Lorde Is Back and Sadder (and Cooler) Than Ever with New Single ‘What Was That’

April 24, 2025

fter vanishing into the artistic wilderness for nearly four years, Lorde has officially stepped out of her yurt (or wherever she’s been vibing) and returned to bless our playlists. The New Zealand-born pop fairy dropped her brand new single ‘What Was That’ at midnight on April 24, and yup — it’s giving existential crisis on the dance floor in the most cathartic way.

Fans have been living off crumbs — silver duct tape on her shoes, rainbow water bottles, and cryptic voice memos that sound like a breakup letter and a mindfulness app had a baby. Lorde hasn’t released music since 2021’s Solar Power (aka the barefoot summer that never fully took off), unless you count her glorious “bitch-walk” remix of Charli XCX’s ‘girl, so confusing’. So yeah, this moment is kind of major.

On the new track, Lorde is once again giving voice to the beautiful mess of being human. “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up / We kissed for hours straight / Well baby, what was that?” — the lyrics hit like a memory you thought you forgot until it shows up at 2 a.m. with receipts. She’s still the queen of turning emotional chaos into a hook you can cry-dance to.

And let’s be real: ‘What Was That’ has Big Melodrama Energy. Think sad Supercut, but with the cold shoulder of Hard Feelings. It feels like a glittery, synth-drenched hangover from a night that meant way more to you than it did to them. Honestly? It’s giving post-Brat summer, pre-seasonal depression. We’re calling it: Lorde Autumn has officially begun.

Whether this song is a soft return to her Melodrama roots or a reflective cleanse post-Solar Power criticism (which was actually a perfect record and we will die on that hill), the vibes are immaculate. Stream ‘What Was That’ while staring out the window of a moving vehicle, post-party, slightly buzzed, slightly disappointed.

Hear it now on Miami’s very own Yummy Hits — where Lorde is currently meeting us exactly where we’re at

👑✨💔

Written by: MJ