Sunday Sounds: July 25, 2021, “Stoned at the Nail Salon”
Samantha Colleran, July 2021
Last week Lorde released the second single off of her highly anticipated third album Solar Power, “Stoned at the Nail Salon”. It took a while for the lead single “Solar Power” to grow on me, so I anticipated having to listen to this track a few times to enjoy it. I did listen to it more than a few times, but not because I was patiently waiting for it to grow on me. Upon first listen, I fell in love with this track, and it honestly made me more excited to listen to the rest of Solar Power.
“Stoned at the Nail Salon” completely contrasts the upbeat vibes of “Solar Power”, it feels like a track that could have been plucked right from one of her previous albums. The Jack Antonoff produced song is reflective and oddly reassuring. On the track, Lorde wonders about the decisions she’s made in her life and whether they were the right ones. “I think lots of people start asking those questions of themselves around my age, and it was super comforting to me writing them down, hoping they’d resonate with others too,” Lorde said about the lyrical content of the track. It is comforting to see that Lorde feels all the same emotions we do, the questioning of whether we’re where we’re meant to be and dealing with the fact things change whether we want them to or not. It feels like Lorde’s old musical content, but more mature, like someone who’s seen the world and has more wisdom than the 16 year old who sang about wanting back the times she had on Pure Heroine.
I fell in love with this song, and I hope you all do as well. You can listen below, and let me know your thoughts on the stripped down track from Lorde in the comments!