Patchy but Dua still produces pop gems

LANDING at exactly the right time to boost the spirits of a nation of bored-senseless lockdowners, Dua Lipa’s second album, Future Nostalgia, didn’t just transform her into the pandemic’s answer to Vera Lynn, it elevated her to the big leagues.

- El Hunt

While her self-titled debut boasted a smattering of hits that still stand up, (New Rules, for one) the overall vision felt scattergun. Then came Future Nostalgia and its smooth, snappy nu-disco, which has now earned its rightful place as a 21st century pop classic. It’s an enormously tough act to follow.

Lipa’s Barbie soundtrack contribution Dance The Night was a continuation of Future Nostalgia’s stylish dance-pop but third album Radical Optimism strives for something different, with mixed results.

The singer teased a genuinely surprising set of inspirations in the run up, (psychedelia, trip-hop and Britpop), however those influences are subtle ones. While it might have been fun to hear Lipa going full Elastica, there’s none of that here. Instead, Portishead-styled washes of warm synth briefly break through on the skittish French Exit, while strums of guitar manifest on indie-pop moments These Walls and Maria.