🎙️ Lorde – “What Was That?”
Song Review by Kyle Williams, Mayhem Rockstar Magazine Radio
Lorde is back—and if “What Was That?” is any indication, she’s more cryptic, vulnerable, and creatively fearless than ever.
Clocking in like a late-night voicemail you were never supposed to hear, the track is a dizzy swirl of electronic pulses, whispered confessionals, and those signature Lorde melodies that haunt more than they hook. The title sounds like a throwaway phrase—but she turns it into a mantra, a spiral of second-guessing, post-breakdown introspection, and blurry emotional flashbacks.
From a production standpoint, it’s one of her most experimental efforts since Melodrama. Think if Pure Heroine took a detour through Eraserhead and stopped to smoke with FKA twigs. There’s reverb, distortion, and a jittery beat that feels like your brain glitching after a long cry in a bathroom stall.
And that voice? Still unmistakable—more mature, rawer, but never overworked. There’s a moment she breathes, “Did I say too much, or not enough?” and it’s like she’s whispering straight through the static of modern life. Whether it’s a post-fame unraveling or a breakup postmortem, she doesn’t give you answers. She just lets you sit in the emotional reverb.
Lorde doesn’t care about pop structure anymore—and “What Was That?” isn’t trying to be a hit. It’s trying to be a feeling. And it is.
🔥 Verdict: 4.5/5
“What Was That?” is eerie, intimate, and unshakable—proof that Lorde is still not just ahead of the curve, but bending it to her will. This one isn’t for the clubs—it’s for 2 a.m. car rides, journal pages, and unraveling under LED lights.
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