Dua Lipa back in 2019 after the release of her single “Don’t Start Now” said her next album would have that kind of sound everywhere, a disco synth-pop feel that was very–wait for it–nostalgic. Well the time has come and “Future Nostalgia” has been out for a while now, and because I’m perpetually late to everything, here’s a breakdown of the album.
Best tracks:
“Don’t Start Now” is the ultimate get over your ex anthem with a fun disco sound and bass guitar lick that’s simple and groovy. “Hallucinate” is a song Dua Lipa describes as being a festival song, something for the crowds at Glastonbury, and its a banger, very EDM festival disco club sound. “Levitating” is a funky love song with references to her “sugar-boo” and while I don’t know what a sugar-boo is, it sounds cute, and weirdly fits among the groove licks of this song.
Most okay-est tracks:
“Love Again” takes a bit to get going with the slow intro, but then kicks into a violin heavy disco set that samples a song by the group “White Town” which according to Spotify was sampled from a song from 1932. “Pretty Please” is a little bit more on the risque side with a little less instrumentation than some of the other songs on this album, lot more bass though. “Break My Heart” is basically INXS “Need You Tonight” with a Dua Lipa flair so your enjoyment of this song may be largely dependent on your feelings about INXS.
Meh tracks:
“Physical” is a little too Miami Vice for my taste, it’s not bad it’s just… well meh. “Cool” apparently went through some modifications before release because Dua said it didn’t sound like her. Personally? I would’ve still tweaked it a bit. The title track of this album “Future Nostalgia” features a Dua Lipa staple of “sing speak” that just… it’s a bit much on here, again not bad just… meh.
Potentially Controversial Tracks:
“Good in Bed” is about a toxic relationship in which the only thing the couple shares truly in common is they like each other–well– in bed… yeah… it’s given the little “E” for explicit next to it for a reason. And last but certainly not least “Boys Will Be Boys” is a complete departure from the rest of the album cause there is hardly any disco or funk sound to it, it’s more a pop ballad than anything. The song is fine the message is clear, but you know someone somewhere out there is going to get butt-hurt because Dua Lipa pointed out in song that–gasp– women have it tougher in the world because the standards are higher for women than they are for men. Stop the presses.
Overall:
There’s no real “bad tracks” on this album, although art is still completely objective. Overall it’s a fun album to listen to with great production value, so I would give it a solid 8.5/10
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