Dua Lipa’s sophomore album Future Nostalgia dropped last Friday, March 27, 2020, a full week early than it’s the original date of April 3, 2020. The news comes as a combination of the alleged album leak that occurred a week prior. No doubt that Dua was committed to serving as a ray of hope during the ongoing global health pandemic (also known as COVID-19) with an album that is guaranteed to make you happy and dance. The only thing I can say is, wow, am I glad it’s finally here.
Future Nostalgia’s album cover (shot by Hugo Comte)
Many artists face the sophomore slump, a curse that sets expectations high for pop artists, making many miss the mark. Not Miss Dua. On Future Nostalgia, the Albanian pop star has taken a mishmash of genres and spliced them together to create a musical style that is her own. Give her debut album Dua Lipa a listen, and you’ll find emotional, dark, and sad lyrics played to banging beats. I must confess that with a title like Future Nostalgia, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but rest assured, she (and her team) clearly knew what they were doing. Staying busy this era by churning singles, videos, performances, and merchandise (and did I mention stylish looks?) for the promotion of this album, she has been slaying every single thing she has done so far and taking no prisoners along the way.
Opening the album is the title track, where Dua lays down the album’s bold message with a warning: “You want a timeless song, I want to change the game,” she sings along a Prince-inspired bass. Listener beware, you’re not ready for what you’re about to get into for the next 11 tracks. She’s about to kick off the new decade with a unique sound that pays tribute to the legacy of pop idols behind her, with musical references here and there that keep you guessing what’s next.
She launched her new era with the first single “Don’t Start Now,” a catchy disco-influenced single that was equal parts dancing and confidence, a very IDGAF post-breakup moment. The song’s lyrics are dedicated to a salty ex, letting them know that life goes on without them, and if you don’t want to believe it, then probably stay home, so you don’t catch Miss Lipa shaking her booty on the dance floor with a stranger (or friends, like on the Live in LA remix). Were the chorus’s lyrics “Don’t show up don’t come out” a foreshadowing of us holed up in our houses in the era of social distancing?
Alright, it’s hard to have a track named Cool and not immediately think of Gwen Stefani’s “Cool” (off debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby., which is one of my all-time favorite pop albums ever). In interviews, Dua confirmed that Gwen Stefani served as an inspiration for Future Nostalgia, and it shows. On the summery track, co-written by Tove Lo, Dua admits to losing her sense of control with a new lover in a genuine and unapologetic. Is this the new love she was yearning for on her debut single “New Love”?
From the moment “Physical” dropped, I was obsessed with it, and with good reason. The high-energy track felt very fresh, even with its 80s-inspired synth sounds, serving visuals and clear concepts for the single’s two videos (including the work out video) with choreography to go with it.
Next up, take a look at the album cover for an idea of what awaits us on “Levitating.” With space references aplenty, Dua takes us on her rocket ship to a galaxy she knows. With lyrics like “I got you, moonlight, you’re my starlight, I need you, all night,” the track is funky and feel-good all the way through with beats that mimic Earth Wind & Fire’s disco classic “Let’s Groove.” It is obvious the kind of album she set out to create, asking us to dance with her all night (and who am I to argue against her?).
Over a funky bassline, Dua confidently and decidedly begs her lover for some relief at the beginning of “Pretty Please.” With lyrics like “Exactly where I want me, yeah Underneath your body, yeah If we take it further, I swear I ain’t gonna break,” Dua is bold and vocal on this track; she knows what she wants and how to get it. Although it’s the most down-tempo song of the bunch, it’s still a bop to get down to (and sing your heart out while you’re at it). Right now would probably be a good time to mention that lyrically, the songs on the album are more, dare I say it, physical, in contrast to her debut, where most of the songs were, for the most part, related to emotions and personally reflective.
“Hallucinate” is guaranteed to be a banger on the dance floor at clubs everywhere (you know, whenever we’re allowed to go back and be social). As the track starts, we’re thrown right into the middle of the dancefloor; Dua’s ready to throw caution to the wind and let go. Her confidence goes unchecked: “body make you silly, make you do what I want, Oh baby, I can make it pretty, I could string you along”; she knows the effect that she has, but she decides not to use it and just enjoy herself. With subtle references to her lover being her drug of choice, the song’s pulsing and hypnotic beat elevates us until we feel we’re running out of breath, as “I-I-I hallucinate when you call my name, got stars in my eyes,” gets higher and higher. It’s definitely a standout track on the album and already a fan favorite; let’s see what she does if it gets released as a single.
“Love Again” takes us straight to the dance floor to shimmy down to the string-filled disco beat sampling “Your Woman” by White Town. She admits to feeling love once more, describing each of the ways her new lover makes her feel and how reassuring their newfound love is. The track gives me Sophie Ellies-Bextor “Murder on the Dancefloor” and Make a Scene vibes, sprinkled with some Róisín Murphy beats here and there.
“Break My Heart” was the latest music single and music video she released before the album’s new release date. The track begins with the singer retelling her bad luck in relationships and how that’s shaped her experiences with love; over a string-filled disco track, she sings about all the potential red flags she sees in her new lover. Despite these, she still allows herself the chance to be happy and try things out, no matter how they play out (“Am I falling in love with the one that could break my heart?”). The video is cute, as she serves colorful high-fashion looks in every single scene along with choreography (are those the “New Rules” dancers?).
“Good in Bed” is reminiscent of the sounds on “Alright, Still,” Lily Allen's debut album. Songs like “LDN” and “Smile” immediately come to mind with its cartoon-sounding beat and its repetitive rhymes in the chorus. The track talks about two lovers that don’t get along anywhere except in bed. She “dedicates a verse to all the good pipe under the moonlight,” (just a slick way of saying damn good sex, mind you), and honestly, good for her, because we need more songs about embracing female sexuality and pleasure.
We arrive at the end of the album with Boys Will Be Boys, where she speaks her mind and breaks down sexist double standards while narrating all too uncomfortable (and every day) female experiences, particularly regarding harassment and gender norms. Don’t be fooled with the sweet harp sounds that start off the track and the soft, playful delivery in Dua’s voice; she’s not shutting down to make you comfortable (remember the pre-chorus from” Swan Song”: “I won’t stay quiet, I won’t stay quiet’, cause staying silent’s the same as dying”). By giving new meaning to the sexist phrase “boys will be boys”, Dua sets out to point out the differing attitudes and expectations placed on both men and women growing up. It’s our responsibility to question these and do better. If you have a problem with her message, then you’re probably part of the problem. It is the most political and self-aware songs on the album, dealing with the present issues as opposed to the rest of the album’s fun party feel that intends to take your mind off things. It’s her album, and she does whatever she wants on it.
Future Nostalgia was one of the albums I was looking forward to the most this year, and I was not disappointed. Dua exudes confidence on the entire record, but her sophomore album did not come without struggles along the way. On the very vulnerable Instagram Live video where she announced the album’s new release date, Dua said that she hoped to make everybody happy, dance, and proud of the work that she had worked so hard on. In a time where we all need joy and authentic music like hers, she certainly did. If you have no plans for tonight, treat yourself to a #socialdistancing-approved dance party to Future Nostalgia, you won’t be disappointed.
Listen to Future Nostalgia now.