If you didn’t have motivation to work out in quarantine, you should do once you’ve listened to Dua Lipa’s new album. At a time where everyone around the world is trapped inside their house with nothing other to do than to exercise, watch the TV, or make dance Tik-Tok's what a perfect time to release an ironically named album called Future Nostalgia.
The future may seem on hold at the moment, but this album will create a memory where we reminisce on that time the human race was nearly wiped out and to prevent it - we all locked ourselves in our houses and danced the stress of our everyday lives away from the realities we were living before. Future Nostalgia is the mood lifter we all need right now at this uncertain and confusing time.
Single teasers released prior to the album include, ‘Don’t Start Now’, a Robyn-esque break up dance-pop anthem and nostalgic 80s pop tune ‘Physical’ which gives a nod to Olivia Newton-John.
Dua Lipa made a tearful announcement during an Instagram Live on Monday March 23rd 2020, in which she revealed that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that she will release her new album Future Nostalgia a week earlier than planned. Her second album was supposed to have been released next Friday on April 3rd, but instead it was brought out yesterday, on March 27th.
Debut album New Rules included the self-titled track which ultimately made her career, as well as her feature with Calvin Harris - ‘One Kiss’ - breaking the young artist into the mainstream pop market. The strong independent woman attitude has created a sort of trademark for both Dua Lipa and her music - radiating a strong essence of female empowerment within her songs. Everyone wants to unleash their inner attitude and strong independent woman sass sometimes, and Dua Lipa really resonates that throughout both of her albums.
Her new 11 track album has been crafted perfectly to create a plethora of pop tunes that represent pop in all of its prime eras. Capitalising off a love for 80s and 90s pop music, Dua Lipa brings to you a homage of dance-pop within Future Nostalgia.
One of the album standouts is ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ which voices experience’s men don’t (necessarily) have to worry about, like the fear of walking home alone at night with your keys in hand, the frustration of being talked over and patronised with the fear of things going south if you don’t just smile it off, and the burden of having to hide these discomforts. Girls and women are held accountable for their own actions and the actions of others, whereas men's/ boys actions are often merely excused.
“Boys will be boys, but girls will be women.”
‘Break My Heart’, uses the funky guitar sample from 80s pop legends INXS’ track ‘Need You Tonight’ creating the perfect beat to outline the track. An emotionally unavailable Dua Lipa reveals how when she falls, she falls hard. ‘Break My Heart’ is a catchy repetitive funk dance tune. Resonating 00’s Lily Allen feels is ‘Good in Bed’ and some other songs too, due to her British accent which is presented on several of the tracks on the album.
Another album standout is self-titled track, ‘Future Nostalgia’ which brings out the female empowerment aspect that Dua Lipa delivers so well. Using her British accent to open the song it comes off as a bit of a hip-hop track initially, but it soon drops into an absolute pop bop.
“No matter what you do, I’m gonna get it without ya. I know you ain’t used to a female Alpha.”
The closest you get to seeing her vulnerable side is on tracks, ‘Pretty Please’ and ironically, ‘Cool’ - which Dua Lipa usually always is - with regards to her emotional availability. In ‘Cool’ she goes on to reveal her needier side, and her wall breaking down, ultimately making her lose her cool.
“When it’s only me and you, you got me, you got me losing all my cool.”
Soon to be standing up there alongside dance pop titans Kylie Minogue and Madonna, Dua Lipa has truly outdone herself with this album. The future for Dua Lipa is her en route to becoming our modern day Madonna. A true pop visionary.
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