Lorde's first release in four years - Solar Power - was met with much fanfare.
Since the song was released on Friday, the music video has reached more than 3.8 million views.
So what did the critics think?
Freelance entertainment writer Chris Schulz told Francesca Rudkin that it is link between what she has done in the past and what she will release in the future.
"The problem she has is she is reemerging in a music landscape that has been made in her shadow", citing the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.Â
Fellow New Zealander and Apple Music radio DJ Zane Lowe labelled the sunshine-inspired track "the sound of a New Zealand summer".
The New York Times' Jon Pareles called the song "about the last thing to be expected from a songwriter as moody and intense as Lorde" and added it was a "carefree ditty".
Music review outlet Pitchfork called it a "soft-touch anthem for season's simple pleasures".
Slant magazine said the song "lacks the urgency of her best songs, it boasts a breezy, psychedelic quality that's perfectly paired for summer drives and beach trips, and an optimistic outlook".
The website Jezebel was decidedly more harsh, calling Solar Power "shockingly basic, from the tepid acoustic production to the canned enlightened lyrics."
A critic for Billboard reflected on how Lorde has bloomed into her new era.
"The Lorde we're acquainting ourselves with this time around has found peace in the natural world," Jason Lipshutz wrote.
"Like all great pop songs, Solar Power is deceptively simple: after a few listens, you notice the saxophone and trumpet snuck into the mix, as well as the barely audible ad-lib "So sorry, I can't make it", after Lorde shrugs, "I tend to cancel all the plans".
And NME had a glowing review for Lorde's return. Giving the track a five-star review, the outlet's critic called the song "a quietly but supremely confident return".
Critic Rhian Daly said Lorde's return felt "liberating".
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