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Lorde, 'Solar Power'

After a four-year drought, Lorde has returned to us, delirious with joy, biting A Tribe Called Quest and indulging in the erotic. A new single, "Solar Power" — the title of which doubles as her forthcoming third studio album — finds the New Zealand singer-songwriter embracing a significantly sunnier state of mind. Guiding the masses to the shore like a beach babe messiah, Lorde's cult of happiness lacks no support; notable for acoustic guitar plucking from co-writer and producer Jack Antonoff, "Solar Power" features Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo on backing vocals. At its percussion-heavy, George Michael-esque climax, the track explodes with transcendental euphoria, a celebration of nature's restorative capacity.

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LaTesha Harris is NPR Music's editorial assistant. A relentless jack-of-all-trades, she takes turns writing, editing and producing music coverage. Invested in the culture behind pop, hip-hop and R&B, her work highlights the intersection between identity and history. Once in a blue moon, Harris moonlights as a talking head with no filter.