★★★★★★★★★☆
Future Nostalgia is emblematic of the album’s cover: Dua Lipa is steering the vehicle. Unlike her disjointed debut, this is a cohesive, 38-minute package of unruffled, clean-cut funk. It’s top to bottom in biting sonics and truculent, verging on sarcastic, tones. Dua Lipa knows all too well that this album leaves us ‘dying tying to figure [her] out’; she’s officially shifted our eyes away from the Twitter memes to her self-assured womanhood.
Releasing an album amidst a global pandemic is never part of the pre-meditated pop star plan – but instead of scurrying away, she bumped the album up by a week. And we so needed it. Dua Lipa’s new direction feels fresh and signature, but it’s gritty enough to show us that each minutiae of sound hasn’t been processed through Max Martin’s computer.
Don’t Start Now is as purifyingly pop as it is a defiant, 6-inch heeled kick to the wrongdoers. But instead of basking in any negativity, she’s untamed and guided by the reflection of the disco ball. One of the heavy themes is going back to old lovers’ tricks, heard on Love Again and Break My Heart, but it remains witty, snappy and deliciously audacious. The ‘fun’ aesthetic can sometimes feel like our ears are at 38,000 feet – there’s too much pressure on it, simply knots the looseness trying to be portrayed. But with Dua Lipa, that authenticity never wanes.
Physical’s anticipatory wobbler and unnervingly low vocals in its verses help pack a glass-shattering punch with the chorus. Hallucinate rises from its underwater effect to finger-snapping sass; it’s a dreamy dancefloor thrill as Dua’s vocals swirl like a record on a vinyl. Levitating, an understandable fan favourite and shines in its Jackson 5-esque chorus. It feels like an innate calling for a pair of floral flares and a viral Tik Tok dance.
The album is top to bottom with nods to late 20th century dance-pop and is clearly inspired by the aesthetic of disco, but its retro taste is never once stale. Think 1970s Donna Summer with an iPhone.
There’s also no ceiling to the album’s energy – even in its most midtempo moments. Cool, co-written by pop’s guru of hedonism and feminism Tove Lo, blends charming synth-waves with infatuation through the lenses of red cat-eye sunglasses.
Dua Lipa herself said the album’s close was intended to be abrupt; Boys will be Boys removes itself from the brackets of disco fever and focuses on endemic sexism in modern society. It feels good to see that instead of opting for a soppy break-up ballad, she’s given her ideologies leverage in music. The album’s a party and a welcomed distraction in unprecedented times, but Boys will be Boys is a sharp reminder that there are more pressing issues and that parties, like all good things, come to an end – and sometimes the finite moment isn’t celebratory fireworks and pyrotechnics.
Dua Lipa is the pop star of the moment. Her kaleidoscope take on pop music might just find her a legion of disco dwellers who crave powerhouse dance-pop and solid aesthetics. She’s already set stan Twitter ablaze. But she’s also not afraid to drag you to the kitchen of the party for a heated political discussion.
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