The “Solar Power” ’verse hasn’t wrapped up yet. In fact, we’ve come aboard the “Leader of a New Regime” territory, just before the year ends.
Today, Dec. 22, the Kiwi singer-songwriter-email enthusiast gifted us the music video for her near-interlude track, “Leader of a New Regime.” Directed by Joel Kefali and Lorde herself, this visual counterpart seemingly completes a triptych with the sunny, idyllic “Solar Power” and impending doom-infused “Fallen Fruit” MVs location-wise, but appears justifiably bleaker and emptier.
On a deserted island, we follow a braided Lorde taking long pauses and walking on rocks, her face almost never seen. The wide ocean becomes the spectator of what still remains in the place, like two women horseback riding. The standing mirror on the blanket of water and the presence of branches may remind us of the two previous MVs, but “Leader of a New Regime” is more than just their visual follow-up.
It also continues the narrative on the climate emergency. The nature love letter (“Solar Power”)-turned-warning (“Fallen Fruit”) has now evolved into a fearless forecast of the neglected world’s eventual collapse. Lorde sings in a soft, but eerie voice: “Won’t somebody, anybody, be the leader of a new regime? / Free the keepers of the burnt-out scene another day / Lust and paranoia reign supreme / We need the leader of a new regime.”
Previously, Lorde had revealed the meaning behind this track: “This song is set in a distant or not-so-distant future, one where the environment is unlivable, society has broken down and we’re all escaping to our far-flung natural sanctuaries to start again. I liked the image of a former popstar packing nothing but magazines and designer dresses.”
Watch the MV here:
Read more:
Lorde drops the ‘Fallen Fruit’ MV to call out environmental destruction
Like you, singer-songwriter Ena Mori is a Lorde believer
‘Solar Power’ isn’t about a tough teenager anymore. Just ask Lorde
Still from “Leader of a New Regime” MV