Prior to the album’s release, Dua Lipa promised that the follow-up album to her self-titled debut would be “an album that was really fun and made me wanna dance and removed the outside world”. While the middle of a global pandemic may seem like an unfortunate time to release an album, music to dance our hearts out to in our living rooms is exactly what we need during a period of self-isolation.
The opening and titular track “Future Nostalgia” sets the record off to a confident start. It’s one of those tracks that hooks you on the first listen and gets increasingly catchy each time you revisit. It has funky elements that nod to “Uptown Funk” and Kylie Minogue’s disco days. Lipa sings: “No matter what you do, I’m gonna get it without ya / I know you ain’t used to a female alpha.” And female alpha is exactly what Dua Lipa is. But better still, we feel like a “female alpha” too when listening to Future Nostalgia.
It’s tricky to pick out an album highlight because the record is filled with catchy club bangers. The single “Physical” is definitely a fantastic dance track that maybe has us a little too eager to run to the club. It has a fresh, modern feel and yet Dua Lipa also plays with 80s and 90s pop tropes to create music that has us dancing through the eras. The singer’s goal of creating something fun we can dance to is fully realized here.
The “alpha female” announced on the titular track resonates through the rest of the record although, towards the end, there’s a lapse in female empowerment. In “Boys Will Be Boys”, Dua Lipa throws shade at traditional gender roles but sings “Boys will be, boys will be boys / But girls will be women.” Even if the words are said in jest, it nonetheless feels like Dua Lipa is using the song to make excuses and target men. It’s not overly problematic, but perhaps misses the beat ever so slightly compared with the rest of the album.
Nonetheless, Futuristic Nostalgia is an enticingly modern album that champions pop and nods at the genre’s evolution over time. Dua Lipa has fully established herself as one of 2020’s most relevant pop stars and has given us a reason to dance about in our living rooms.
4/5
