This week, Daysia is looking at the latest posthumous album discourse and wholesome celebrity couple moments. Meanwhile, Hannah is just vibing to Solar Power and has an extensive TV watchlist to get through this weekend. Plus, the first in a series of Solar Power reviews. Happy Lorde day!

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Daysia and Hannah

This Week's Fixations

What’s taking up our brain space this week?

Daysia: Over the past week, Anderson .Paak and Lana Del Rey have both stated that they do not want posthumous albums and have written those sentiments into their wills. This comes amid the recent boom in posthumous albums over the last few years, including the latest Pop Smoke album, #AaliyahisComing speculations (sidenote: One in a Million streaming today!), the release of Prince’s long-shelved project Welcome 2 America, and more. Posthumous albums, while not new, have been a hot topic of debate lately and have sparked an ethical dilemma. How do you honor an artist who has passed? Is it exploitative to create posthumous albums?

Much of musicians’ archival work includes songs they decided not to put out into the world. There is usually a reason for that. And while posthumous albums can provide closure and a last parting gift to fans (for instance, I am grateful that Mac Miller’s Circles exists!), sometimes they feel like cobbled together demos that weren’t meant to be heard. .Paak’s newest tattoo gets at that point, with a part of it reading “Those Were Just Demos And Never Intended To Be Heard By The Public.” Ultimately, artist’s have the right to (at least try to) shape their legacies. Sometimes, they don’t have the luxury of doing so, especially if their deaths were sudden or unexpected. But I think it’s telling that artists are starting to come out and explicitly prohibit the release of their unreleased work after they die. It’s likely just the beginning, as more musicians continue to be proactive in maintaining their visions for their legacies.

In other news, there have been a couple of wonderful celeb couple moments this week! Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum were out riding around on Tatum’s bicycle. Are they dating? Who cares, they gifted us with these delightful photos:

And finally, this wonderful, wholesome moment: Kourtney Karsdashian helped her boo Travis Barker conquer his fear of flying, 13 years after his traumatic plane crash.

Hannah: No thoughts, just Solar Power! (Also this weekend aside from listening to Solar Power, I will be watching The White Lotus, The Chair, and Outer Banks—very interested in hearing other people’s thoughts on these shows so tweet me!) 

Has Lorde Dropped a New Album?

Yes!!!!! Solar Power is out now. We personally love this new sunshine-era. Let the girl be happy! She has known pain (see: “Liability”) and deserves this moment.

We’ve decided to do mini-reviews in celebration, starting with the two latest single releases. Daysia previously annotated “Solar Power” when it dropped, if you want to revisit her thoughts on that track.

“Stoned at the Nail Salon”: The name of this track was definitely one that caught our eye when the tracklist was revealed. Maybe we’re channeling Ella and having a synesthesia moment but the song definitely sounds like being stoned at the nail salon. Kind of quiet, happy-sad, a little plucky. The lyrics touch on some deep ideas that you want to easily dismiss but can’t— “all the music at 16 you’ll grow out of,” “spend all the evenings you can with the people who raised you.” The push and pull that comes with growing it up. It’s definitely a song that will have you in your feels, Miss Ella’s version of “shower thoughts.” A classic example of what she does best: bundling up a set of distinct feelings in a tune that is an easy listen.

“Mood Ring”: If “Solar Power” is for traipsing along the beach, “Mood Ring” is for sunbathing in a meadow. It’s a satirical track about “wellness,” or at least the industry around it, and yes, it’s lyrically a little corny. But the instrumental, much like “Solar Power,” is an instant mood booster. It has a very particular early-aughts-inspired sound, including the blissful sunniness of a Natasha Bedingfield song and some guitars fit for a Fanmail cut, perfect for a coming-of-age movie montage. It sounds much better placed on the album than as a single, and it's definitely grows on you with each listen.

Too Many Tabs (Lorde Edition)

Speaking to Neil Shah for the Wall Street Journal, Lorde explains why she’s opting for smaller venues for her upcoming tour.

For The Cut, Marianne Eloise examined Solar Power as “deeply uncool,” meaning it is an album for Ella, by Ella in which she assesses her life, career, environment, and former selves.

The Atlantic’s Spencer Kornhaber writes about how Lorde redefines “basic” on Solar Power.

Plus… Laura Prepon on why she left Scientology, Hugh Jackman’s specialty, another celebrity come-together-as-one cover, an Asian American in a Wes Anderson film! (clickbait), a recommendation for The Chair, blonde Dylan O’Brien,