Dua Lipa is in the driving seat of dancing tunes on Future Nostalgia. Photo / Warner Music
Dua Lipa is in the driving seat of dancing tunes on Future Nostalgia. Photo / Warner Music
From the get-go, Dua Lipa's latest album is a toe-tapping pop record.
Future Nostalgia is the pop star's second record, following her 2015 debut. Her colourful and catchy singles New Rules and Lost in Your Light saw Lipa race up the charts and earn critical acclaim.
The follow-up was alwaysgoing to be tough - and the timing of her release meant an album full of pop anthems was released in the middle of a global pandemic. In a way, it was almost perfect timing.
Don't Start Now, the second track perfectly displays Lipa's impressive vocals and her no-nonsense agenda. It's purposeful pop reminiscent of her New Rules: walk away from the boys who aren't treating you right.
That isn't to say Future Nostalgia repeats the formula of New Rules - Lipa displays a variety of emotions, from crushes to sensuality and heartbreak. It's also a consistent record and there isn't a song that feels out of place or doesn't make you want to dance.
The production is slick, too - best showcased on tracks like Pretty Please, which has a catchy bassline.
Sonically, each song sounds straight out of a dance party, and even though we are in an era of social distancing, it's a soundtrack that fits in perfectly for a daily exercise routine near your "bubble" of choice.
The strength of Future Nostalgia is how cohesive it is while avoiding sounding "samey". Lipa's vocal performance is such that a ballad would have been welcomed, but she still manages to cut through any chance of being overshadowed by the beats. Break My Heart for example, with its speedy chorus, has verses glittered with Lipa hitting the high notes.
