The summer of our Lorde begins with ‘What Was That’

Credit: Thistle Brown

It appears that Lorde summer is upon us, just when we need it most. Fresh off a pop-up performance at Washington Square Park in New York City and a surprise appearance with Charli XCX at Coachella in California, our alt-pop queen Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor has returned with a striking new song called “What Was That” — and it has us skipping over to Genius to tattoo the lyrics on our bruised and broken brains. “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up / We kissed for hours straight, well, baby, what was that?” Lorde offers up as her familiar pop sincerity shines through. “I remember saying then, ‘This is the best cigarette of my life’ / Well, I want you just like that.” This fevered new track is Lorde’s first new release in four years, and was co-produced by Lorde, Jim-E Stack and Dan Nigro. Check out the music video below, which was filmed during the Washington Square Park appearance earlier this week.

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