Future Nostalgia- A pop tour of everything that came before.

Music Review: Dua Lipa- Future Nostalgia (2020)

Throughout the tracklist you will often stop and think "I've heard this before" as a plethora of pop divas flood back to your mind, but that is ultimately what Dua Lipa intended. This is nostalgia for the late 2000s and no pop girl is doing it like this anymore, so Lipa has a full run way to strut her stuff how she likes. Future Nostalgia is filled with fun pop songs that will make you sing and dance, but with only one or two stand out tracks it lacks the superstardom that other artists have achieved. It is a shame that the deeper cuts never reach the heights of the lead single, though with time and a couple more music videos this album will certainly be remembered fondly. There is a lot to enjoy here and with Lipa taking notes from the pop divas before her everyone will find something they enjoy.

Like with usual pop songs ready for the radio, the album has got little depth, but it is the kind of fun slice of bubblegum pop that doesn't need it. In the cray times that the album was released, it is necessary to have a bit of light hearted fun. It is not an album to be taken seriously instead it is meant to bring a smile to a world that is in dire need of a reason to. A lot of the tracks are middle of the road and will need a big radio push to fully enjoy what she was aiming for. As the majority of Lipa's debut album was devoured by fans months after its initial release, it is fair to realise that she was probably aiming for the tracks to stick around. And, with production that is infectious and choruses that are ear worm ready Future Nostalgia has the legs to elevate Lipa from a pop princess to the level of artist she is trying to recapture.

Many of the tracks are stronger because of their parts than the full package; the songs seem to lack one thing to push it over the edge to greatness, or has one or two irritating decisions that limit its full potential. There are times where a more seasoned artist would have gone a little further to push the boundaries, or in other cases would have realised when a decision was going too far. Lipa is still very early on in her career and has loads of room to grow and adapt. Nostalgia is a more concise and tonally consistent body of work than her debut, so it is a clear step forward that makes her future work exciting and endearing. That is not to say that this album doesn't have a lot to love, but Lipa's future seems brighter than where we are at the moment.

Album Review: 6

Track by Track Breakdown:

Future Nostalgia- The thesis statement for the whole album. After an explosive debut Lipa is in the perfect position where her audience are intrigued for her next slice of work without fully knowing what to expect, so this opening track playfully explores both of those concepts. She teases the audience and their eagerness to find out what the Dua Lipa hype is all about and lays enough foundations to hook in any curious listener. The playful track is one part classic 80's fun with enough modern twists to make it enjoyable for today's audiences. It marries the past and present well as well as giving old fans enough love of her older work while being distinct enough that this is clearly a new step forward for the pop princess. Sonically it is fun and dance able but some production choices are slightly irritating on multiple listens. The job of the song is to hook people back into Dua's world, but once you are here you will probably prefer the rest of the album. It's memorable, distinct and certainly not boring, but at the same time probably wont be returned to after initial listen. (4) Don't Start Now- Pop perfection. Infectious groove that just gets better and better with every listen. When first hearing the track you may accidentally write it off as nothing special, but the ear worm chorus will get stuck in your head and you will return again and again. The infectious joy of getting over the ex and the devilish glee of knowing they want you back is a feeling we don't always admit to but long for. It works as a victorious second chapter from her smash hit New Rules and it is just as catchy and fun. It is the kind of song no one can hate which i'm sure is infuriating for the man Lipa is writing about. It's the kind of empowering anthem you will belt in the shower, tap along to cooking your tea and feel good walking down the street with. It is the kind of disco nostalgia that will never leave the music world because it is just too damn good. (9)

Cool- With lyrics from Tove Lo, this is the kind of mature sex song Britney Spears made in her hay day with Dua's higher register sounding in places like Mariah Carey. It's the kind of pop that will drive the gay scene wild as it channels all the best pop diva tropes. It's sexy without being vulgar and has a slow sensual groove without being boring. If it was on a Tove Lo album no one would bat an eye lid as her signature stamp is all over the track and with that it has similar problems to her usual tracks. Lo has always had too perfect pop edge to her sound so isn't liked enough by grittier indie fans, and it is too low key for the pop fans; a weird hybrid of bop pop and indie pop. It needed a bigger hook to please the pop fanatics, and a little more edge/grit for the indie folk. If given multiple listens it certainly grows on you, but you never lose sight that it is just missing that something to make it properly pop. (5)

Physical- A pulsating beat that keeps the adrenaline flowing in this synth pop extravaganza. It is the kind of song that will be best at home in the club and in the background of many night out movie montages. With enough growls, Lipa gives a feisty performance that is never too in your face. Because it doesn't take itself too seriously, you can't help but having fun and feeling strong listening to the song. However, its extravagance though joyful is also its downfall. The song is too big to play quietly and therefore is only really home in a club. When it is on you wont skip, but you wont be coming back often as high octane is often too cumbersome for a bedroom concert. (7)

Levitating- With verses reminiscent of Katy Perry's Never Really Over, this is fun summer pop to the T. It's breezy and joyful with a funk radio ready groove. It's got the head-scratching lyricism of all the best summer jams (wtf is a sugarboo?), but it's not a song to be taken seriously. The kind of fun bubblegum pop that flooded the airways in the 2000s but has not been on our radio in years. Pop doesn't have to be highbrow, occasionally we can just float away on a slice of fun and indulge in its sweet sugary goodness. The daft punk inspired background vocal should have been left in the past though. (8)

Pretty please- A rehash of Cool without the gay bop vibe. It's quite a come down after levitating and not in the fun way. There is little life in the track and even after multiple listens it is rather forgettable. It is most certainly an album filler track as there is not much to come back for. Cool is saucier, more fun and is easier to vibe out to. Lipa's breathy vocals attempts sensual, but it just feels awkward as you wait around for her to get started- it is the metaphor equivalent of waiting for a partner to find a condom as you lay waiting for them to get their act together. The track gestures at similar attempts of many of the tracks before it but just falls flat with unoriginality. Lipa is better than this. (3)

Hallucinate- Lipa's self professed festival banger, hits the right notes for festival goers to feel high on this airy and breezy track. You could see this song playing in the background as the joyous chaos of a festival floats around you while you are on your own wave length. It is the kind of happy summer jam that screams for sun and a good time. An infectious prechorus that draws the listener in eagerly anticipating the chorus that doesn't live up to the rest of the song. The elongation of syllables as a chorus was a common pop staple in the early 2010s but since then pop has grown and adapted; if the chorus was more sing ready rather than stuck disc this song would hit better. (7)

Love Again- With an orchestral beginning that captures the extravagance of feeling in love again, the song is ripped out of an ABBA notebook. But Goddamn if she says But Goddamn one more time I will flip! The line is just infuriating and it is repeated over and over. To be honest none of the lyrics are as interesting as they think they are; the joy of finding someone new after feeling like you would never find love again is just as melodramatic as the opening strings set it up to be. It is a chill pop song that is saved by the production: strings, guitar, kick drum, synths. The production gives you something to enjoy as with out it it is just a melodramatic and under baked pop song. (4)

Break My Heart- As the forth released song, the track offers a bit of familiarity to the back end of the album. Some may scratch their heads at the thought of this being a single deserving a video, but as soon as the chorus comes on the song falls into place. The fun and catchy chorus truly saves the song as the verses feel flat waiting for the build up to the star of the show. It is only when the chorus hits does the boppy production actually hit hard and the fun begins. The production is toe tapping bliss. If the verses could have lived up to the rest then this track would be much better, but the prechorus build up is actually tiresome because of how different the verses and chorus are. (6)

Good in Bed- Bad bad bad bad bad. And words that rhyme with bad bad bad bad. A Lily Allen track with none of the posh english girl charm. It is just child-like and irritating. Like you get the point that she wants to stay with the guy just for sex and the impression that it is an immature reasoning that she should learn from, but rather than hammering it into our heads she should remind herself. Nothing is worse than the post chorus where she rhymes bad, sad and mad like she is some preschooler. The worst thing is it is probably the song going to get stuck in most peoples heads for how repetitive it is. Luckily with a high burn out, people will grow tiresome but not as quickly as they should. (2)

Boys will be Boys- Taking the well trodden saying and turning it on its head to point out the problematic flaws the sentiment has. A song in similar semantic frame as Taylor Swift's The Man, but unlike that song this one is grittier and calls out the problem head on. Swift's attempt feels more glamorised and hollow in comparison as Lipa's very real examples of female inequality feel grounded and impactful when put next to the problematic "Boys will be Boys". Not to compare women making songs fighting for something so necessary as feminism, as both songs are relevant, deserveded of respect and love, but Lipa's riskier and more cutting interpretation of the same theme feels more impactful. Both songs are honorable for highlighting the issue, but Lipa's will cause in depth and necessary conversation between boys, girls, women and men who all need to discuss what we can do to do better and not just rely on problematic lines like "Boys will be Boys" to sweep it under the carpet. But ultimately the message is better than the song. (7)