#235 — Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia (2020)
Uplifting dance-pop done extremely right.
Mid-way through the second play of this one, as I was making dinner in the kitchen, my husband looked up from across the room and said, “This one sounds like your type of album”. And have to tell you, he’s correct.
Is Dua Lipa the greatest English-Albanian singer of all time? I mean, it’s not a long list, but she’s definitely up there.
This album dropped about the same time that COVID-19 did, back in the now almost dreamtime did that really happen period of 2020. I’d say you know what you’re going to get with Dua Lipa, but maybe you don’t so here goes.
Dua Lipa’s voice does a lot of work on her albums. It’s expressive, got a beautiful range and tone, and the production values complement it rather than overwhelm it or try to fill in the gaps like with other singers who don’t have that quality. We’re talking about pop-dance here, the disco-tinged EDM style, and Future Nostalgia is exceptionally good at it.
Like, this album is full of bangers. FULL OF THEM. Future Nostalgia. Don’t Start Now. Cool. Physical. Levitating. That’s the first five tracks and they’re all single quality, there’s eleven tracks on this album and I’d say nine of them could have promoted the album.
This isn’t an album without heart and soul. I’m not sure there’s many albums that end with a orchestral chamber-pop song about toxic masculinity and how boys are excused but girls are expected to grow up into women faster to account for that.
“If you’re offended by this song, you’re clearly doing something wrong” is the sort of spirited defence of the offence people take when you point out something’s fucked up. In these extremely weird times, having a pop singer make this statement in this way matters.
Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia — 2020
Best Track: For me, Levitating. It’s a showcase of what Dua does best, it’s got a great chorus and orchestration. It sounds like the future looks like, which is the whole point isn’t it?
Underrated Banger: Is it possible for the title track to be underrated? A statement of intent, a singalong chorus that sounds great after five beers. Future Nostalgia.
Full album is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EJ-vZyBzOQ&list=PLNrotoZZ8BaouNABcO_A9Xkn_Nkz0PT11
