After a long wait, the new Dua Lipa album has arrived, featuring production from Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), Danny L Harle, Andrew Wyatt, and Ian Kirkpatrick. It was released on May 3, over four years after her last album, the record-breaking “Future Nostalgia.” It has no other featured artist, which is a first for her. 

The album starts off with an enjoyable disco track, “End Of An Era.” The song overall is fairly basic but brings in the album well. The album keeps its dance and disco theme alive with the next two songs, “Houdini” and “Training Season.” These two songs are highlights on this album and they really stick out in Lipa’s discography. As for the best parts of each song, “Houdini” had a very strong bassline, and “Training Season” had an overall use of instrumentation that was pretty good. 

The album keeps pace with the next few tracks, featuring one of the best songs on the album, “Whatcha Doing.” The second half flips between euro-pop dance anthems and more basic, introspective songs, showing off the personal thoughts and experiences of Lipa. The album hits a low point with the two songs “Anything For Love” and  “Maria.” There is not much to say on either of these songs, as they do not really stand out on this album and they feel a bit out of place. It wraps up with a satisfying ending, with the ballad “Happy For You.”

Overall, the album felt satisfying in some points yet really basic and boring in other parts. 

“I thought there were a few good songs but overall it was not great and kind of basic, a bit disappointing as to where her last album really hit it home for me,” Brandon Ball said.

The overall aesthetic and feel of this album was something many did not expect, with psychedelic-tinged production thanks to the likes of Kevin Parker and company. The album had some overall highlights and enjoyable Europop tracks, but fell short and was most definitely a step down from “Future Nostalgia.”