Lorde‘s Solar Power era has been a lesson in peace, serenity and throwing your phone into the ocean. From this album, we’ve received music videos for ‘Solar Power,’ ‘Fallen Fruit,’ ‘Mood Ring’ and now, ‘Leader of a New Regime.’ We see the cinematography open on Lorde facing the ocean on a cliffside, and image of catharsis and release in front of the serene fury of the sea.
In fact, the entire music video takes place in a sort of Lord of the Rings-type aesthetic space, which is only fitting seeing as Lorde is from New Zealand, and that just happens to be where a majority of the Lord of the Rings Franchise was filmed.
The music video has twin girls on horses, seaside huts and lots of scenes with Lorde herself contemplating next to a body of water. It’s a subtle work of cinematography without many special effects or jaw-dropping stunts, but that’s part of what completes it’s beauty. Lorde, throughout the entirety of Solar Power, strives to find peace and happiness through the act of reflection, and this music video represents that.
The symbolism goes as far as a mirror in the depths of the water, which is not only a visually striking move, but also encapsulates the ethos of this music video: embracing the world at large, returning to the peace of nature and, in return, you’ll find peace within yourself.
After a brief shot of the sun shining through the trees, we return exactly where we started off, watching Lorde in a contemplative moment.
And let’s not be fooled, the release of this music video on the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere, and on the Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere is no coincidence. This album is titled Solar Power, after all.
