Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
Tapping into a newfound fire in her belly to give us the party album we all need right now...
*Dua Lipa* has really stepped up her game with sophomore album, ‘Future Nostalgia’.
At twice the length, her eponymous debut album’s medley of typical dancefloor fillers, predictable sad songs and singalongs, doesn’t quite captivate the listener throughout. This is not the case with ‘Future Nostalgia’ as Dua Lipa taps into a newfound fire in her belly, and throws out banger after banger.
Her power resides in a winning combination of pithy lyrics, catchy choruses and music that makes you get up and groove – a power she has undoubtedly harnessed for the entirety of this record. The result is liberating, intoxicating and punchy.
‘Future Nostalgia’ is an empowering, dynamic pop cavort from start to finish. Dua’s compelling vocals, hooks and beats are a force to be reckoned with, daring you not to boogie around your bedroom. She’s ferocious in her execution of hard-hitting anthems like ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Cool’ and ‘Physical’, successfully putting her own feminist spin on the formulaic themes of break-ups, sex, love and ‘girl power’.
She demonstrates an unfaltering ability to hook the listener in with enticing earworms like ‘Hallucinate’ and ‘Break My Heart’, while her biting wit shines through on ‘Good In Bed’, a ballsy and amusing song reminiscent of Lily Allen circa 2008. ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ is a track that deserves a special mention for being Dua Lipa’s ‘Beychella moment’ for female empowerment. It is a fitting finale with its composed attitude and eloquent lyrics, dismissing the outdated misogyny that has long permeated society as she finishes with the line: “Boys will be boys, but girls will be women.”
Her decision to release this album early could not be more perfectly timed. ‘Future Nostalgia’ is just what’s needed in this time of social distancing – whether it’s dancing around the house, answering emails or during your chosen outdoor exercise of the day, this record will uplift and power listeners through. Dua Lipa has created a pop record that is equally perfect for being homebound alone, and for accompanying the endless jaeger bombs that’ll eventually be had when the bars and clubs reopen.
‘Future Nostalgia’ is exactly what this record conveys, chiming with the current collective consciousness, longing for past freedoms that we’ll be reacquainted with soon. It’ll keep us going in the meantime, and will surely be the soundtrack to a safer summer once this is (hopefully) all over.
*9/10*
Words: *Yasmin Cowan *
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