Dua Lipa — Radical Optimism

The album is...a pleasant listen. You know, as you would expect from a Dua Lipa album. The production is a bit more sophisticated this time. My fave Massive Attack sounding song by far is Maria but it also sounds absolutely nothing like Massive Attack.
 
I have caved and boarded the train. the first song is fucking FABULOUS and surely destined to be a big gay fan fave. feels like it communicates "radical optimism" better than any of the singles have. smooth, balearic pop-house track complete with spoken word outro that pops right off. :disco: madame just gets it, I love her.
 
I don’t want to sit through it and be a salty bitch but if someone can recommend a few highlights I’ll give them a go with a GENUINE OPEN MIND and then see if I have an appetite for any more!
 
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Pipo said:
untitled coming out as a DUA-hater was not on my bingo card :o this is shocking! But not as shocking as Dua Lipa's third studio album Radical Optimism, available tomorrow on streaming platforms :disco:
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I'm just not loyal at all. You're only as good as what you put out for me, even with my absolute favourite artists... the second they release something I'm not feeling it's a case of "thanks for the memories, BYE!". Of course it can come back around but yeah, I'm really not loyal in the slightest.

Future Nostalgia is a very good pop album. Smoke & mirrors though ultimately for me as I did realise, over time, that Dua Lipa's presence is not at all what makes the album great. The production and marketing of Dua Lipa the product was spellbinding. It had me in a trance, but over time my feelings softened and as far as I'm concerned her current output is, for the most part, absolute shite.

Anyway, this thread has been great fun and of course much of the critique is tongue-in-cheek anyway. I wish the Pretty Little Thing model nothing but the best and find it lovely how she is giving singing a go!
 
Also, if this album is actually good I will genuinely eat my words. I love being proven wrong!
 
Maybe that's the problem. We need to stop listening to spectacular music and maybe we'll like Dua's BEIGE DRONING more :(
 
I'm listening now and it's bright and breezy - maybe even relistenable. Is it a game-changer? No! It's a Dua Lipa album! But she does what she does, and she does it well!
 
I'm LISTENING NOW.

Houdini has 431M streams :D

I'm very happy for her.
 
End Of An Era already finished and I can't actually remember a single thing about it.

These Walls is actually REALLY NICE however. Inoffensive but cute.
 
OK I like Watcha Doing as well.

Still holding out for some tinny industrial Bristolian beats!

:BList:
 
I have nothing to add for French Exit

Falling Forever is VERY EUROVISIONY and will be very popular. I'm not impressed.
 
I skipped the rest and kept Happy For You for later. I've saved 3.

:meh:
 
untilted said:
I don’t want to sit through it and be a salty bitch but if someone can recommend a few highlights I’ll give them a go with a GENUINE OPEN MIND and then see if I have an appetite for any more!
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Are we so ridiculous as a society of short attentioned consumer that we can’t listen to THIRTY SEVEN MINUTES of music and need to be told what to cherry pick?

LESS a SALTY BITCH and more a CAN’T BE ARSED one. :D
 
This is quite the comedown from Future Nostalgia. Unsurprisingly after the disappointing singles there's no proper showstoppers, and for someone like Dua she NEEDS the product to sell her, because she's not selling this tepid affair. It's all very "nice enough" but mostly it's all a bit LIMP?

However, Falling Forever is the closest to a "Physical" style rush. It doesn't sound like that but it's the closest comparison on here. That @Funky hates it and likens it to Eurovision (it just sounds like a vaguely 80s inspired pop song to me) should be enough to tell anyone here looking for cherry picks to get on that one immediately :D

"End of an Era" sounds more impactful than the singles so far, that one's rather bright and breezy if a bit lightweight. The fluffy disco vibe works, she should've launched the entire project with that.

Enjoying "Happy For You" too even though I never asked for a Dua Lipa big ballad closer, this one hits the spot.

Those three are good, Houdini is alright, the rest maybe needs time to bed in and that's being GENEROUS.

However, it's a perfect pastiche of "Mezzanine" from start to finish, at times I could barely tell the difference
 
Love the spoken bits on End of an Era... Here she goes AGAIN :disco:

I enjoyed my first listen and it seemed to pass very quickly. There are bops here like Whatcha Doing and the GALLOP of Falling Forever, but probably not bops that are begging to be singles as there were on Future Nostalgia. I don't think there is a Levitating in waiting.

Anything For Love is a bit bizarre. Half baked and definitely not the one, right?

They need to push These Walls I think. It mixes things up a bit, and would play well.
 
These Walls is the track getting pushed today, but on first listen I felt like it should be End of an Era or Happy For You. those two really stood out as being stronger than the rest. also sorry @FetchFugly but Anything For Love although an interlude is QUITE HOT N FUNKY! (the adjective not the man)
 
oh i'm properly LOVING this!

These Walls, Falling Forever, and Happy For You are top-tier on first listen.
 
09 End of an Era - great opener
10 Houdini - one of her best songs
08.5 Training Season - has been a huge grower for me, that chorus is crack
07.5 These Walls - very cute, but a bit slight?
08 Whatcha Doing - Break My Heart with a bit of added bounce. bop.
08 French Exit - cheeky bop. love the spoken word and the random FLUTE CAMEOS! this midsection is very fun for Europe.
 
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT

I LISTENED. I THINK ITS OK!!!

These Walls is quite charming. I wouldn’t say I’m on board, as my critiques still stand about her in general but it is fine! Solid 3 star album I guess.
 
09 Illusion - a very welcome injection of pace. rubbish verses but that final chorus still pops off so hard. THE BELLS!

08.5 Falling Forever - whoever said there's something quite eurovision about this nailed it. no idea what it's about but I'm here for the belting and the theatrics! bound to be a big grower, a possible single surely

08.5 Anything for Love - OK girls I really love this!!! extremely boppy when the beat kicks in. very playful. love that it slaps you once around the tits and then it's OVER! you could say she performed a French exit. au revoir!

08 Maria - love the CHUGGING GUITAR rhythm, this one feels super catchy to me. who is Maria anyway? somebody text me to say it's Miley Cyrus so I choose to believe it.

09 Happy For You - this is the song that a critic compared to Cool by Gwen. obviously not in the same league but I do really like that big, airy, breezy chorus. feels like this song has more emotional depth than the rest. strong closer.
 
overall I think the second half is a touch stronger but I really enjoyed the whole thing. yes it's lightweight and frothy and the lyrics may as well not exist but the production is sexy, it's full of toe tappers and she's trying something a bit different. I'm here for not just reprising future nostalgia.

her best album? clearly not. a minor slay nonetheless, costumed in a beret and armed with a flute? oui, oui.
 
Jark said:
overall I think the second half is a touch stronger but I really enjoyed the whole thing. yes it's lightweight and frothy and the lyrics may as well not exist but the production is sexy, it's full of toe tappers and she's trying something a bit different. I'm here for not just reprising future nostalgia.

her best album? clearly not. a minor slay nonetheless, costumed in a beret and armed with a flute? oui, oui.
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I’m glad you’re loving it Jark!

I hope you can all see most of my critiqus were absolutely tongue-in-cheek. The untitled of 2024 doesn’t have the energy or capacity to hate a random popstar on the internet. I’m one of the nice ones 💘

The album is fine, it’s pop doing it’s thing. Massive attack and primal scream inspired will continue to be legendary though :D
 
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I’m on Anything For Love and it’s all very nice and breezy and whatever else Jark says it is. Falling Forever has been the best by far
 
NME called the album “frustratingly passive” (accurate) and her fans are losing their shit in the comments

People really need to chill the fuck out
 
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