HITMASKIN: But it’s hard to see the substance of the Dua Lipa project on her third album. Photo: Joel C Ryan/AP
The most usable soundtrack until spring 2024 has been served. For better or worse.
Friday 3 May at 15:17
Who exactly is Dua Lipa? On paper, there is little to wonder about: The Anglo-Albanian 28-year-old is consistently among the world’s ten most popular artists, and her relentlessly effective twist on disco pop – perfected on the successful blockbuster album “Future Nostalgia” (2020) – has proved as influential as it is instantly recognisable.
It can still be difficult to see the substance of the Dua Lipa project, beyond the certified ability to create hits. And her third album does little to flesh out her personality – disappointingly, considering the inspired album title, the corresponding cover (where the main character swims among sharks) and the early rumors of musical inspiration from psychedelia, Britpop and trip-hop.
On “Radical Optimism”, Lipa sticks to the recipe she has been successful with in the past, albeit with occasional and rather superficial sprinklings of eccentricity here and there. ABBA is a more obvious reference than ever, and a comprehensive description of the record could be “a bit like Eurovision, only good”. Which of course does not hold in this upper sphere of pop music.
Lipa brings her regular team of songwriters and producers here, including Norwegian Caroline Ailin and the Australian neo-psychedelic Kevin Parker, known as Tame Impala and as a sparring partner with everyone from Lady Gaga to Kanye West.
It sounds like they’re having an OK day at work, and especially the start of the album, with the playful “End of an Era” and the hit singles “Houdini” and “Training Season”, is sure to lift barbecues and park life in the weeks to come.
In general, it is difficult to imagine a more applicable soundtrack for this spring than “Radical Optimism”. It sounds expensive, delicate and hardly suitable for making your day particularly bad. But considering what Dua Lipa has achieved in the past, it is just as well one of the big disappointments of the season.
BEST SONG: «End of an Era»