Dua Lipa released her sophomore album earlier this week on March 27th despite her strong anxiety regarding the release. The British artist has recently been under fire for her supposedly underwhelming performances and average vocals which made her hesitant to release the album. "Future Nostalgia" has been in the media for all the right reasons though, as it's been getting so much praise from other artists and publications. Does the album truly deserve the hype though?
THE SOUND
Dua Lipa completely hit the nail on the head in the naming of the album. She was able to seamlessly blended today's new age EDM and more retro, disco backing tracks. The album is incredibly cohesive while remaining versatile. This album is incredibly fun, flirty, unique and innovative while achieving the goal of having a retro feel. While the majority of the songs on the album have the composition with regard to verses, chorus and the bridge, the lyrics and backing tracks manage to make each song a completely different experience. Dua Lipa travels through the decades on this album with disco themed songs "Don't Start Now," and "Break My Heart," 80s pop tributes like "Physical," a clear ode to Olivia Newton-John and finally contemporary tracks such as "Cool" and "Boys Will Be Boys". Intersect gives a 10/10 on sound because of the beautiful and conscientious production.
THE SINGING
Pop isn't exactly the genre you go to when expecting to hear soulful vocals and "Future Nostalgia" isn't an exception. Dua Lipa shows her vocal capabilities in "Cool" and "Love Again" but her voice itself definitely isn't what allures people to her music. Despite this, she's shown great improvement in her voice since her debut album. Many of the best songs on the album are carried by the production and the lyricism rather than the voice itself, like in "Pretty Please". Dua Lipa shows great artistry in the variety of melodies in this album. The singing on this album earns an 7/10 because the vocals aren't impressive. Enjoyable enough to listen to but undeserving of any praise.
THE ART BEHIND THE ALBUM
The lack of features on "Future Nostalgia" presents itself to me as Dua Lipa proving she is a strong enough to create a good album all on her own which she undoubtedly succeeds at. There are strong themes of redemption and growth at the beginning of the album, which show a confidence in her music that she hadn't had before. Dua Lipa also seems more animated and overall more in tune with her music in her newest music videos than she had with her debut album. The art is a 9/10 because Dua Lipa has grown immensely since her initial debut and shows no signs of slowing down.
MY TOP TRACKS ON THE PROJECT
Future Nostalgia, Levitating and Pretty Please
APPLE MUSIC'S TOP TRACKS ON THE PROJECT
Don't Start Now, Physical and Break My Heart
Intersect recommends that you listen to Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, our overall rating is 8.3/10. Listen to the album below.