Over the last decade or so, very few Pop artists have had the success and impact Dua Lipa has had. She is one of the most successful modern Pop stars, appealing to a worldwide audience in a manner that few of her peers can replicate. Since debuting in the mid-2010s, Dua Lipa has massively grown her sound, style, and image; it has been super fun to see her find herself as an artist over the years. Dua Lipa first rose to superstardom after the release of her debut album, Dua Lipa, in 2017. This album shows glimpses of Dua Lipa’s huge potential and spawned quite a few international hits, it also felt scattered with its sound and was not super consistent. Overall, this album was received pretty positively, but it seemed like Dua Lipa could reach another level with her music. Dua Lipa seemed to come into her own on her second album, 2020’s Future Nostalgia. This album has an ultramodern Disco sound that has inspired a lot of Pop music that has come out since. Dua Lipa was praised for the concise and innovative sound of Future Nostalgia, and it ended up winning her a ton of awards. After releasing a few one-off singles and duets over the last couple of years, Dua Lipa is back with her third album, Radical Optimism. This album was preceded by a few chart-topping singles, all of which have a similar sonic theme to the super well-received Future Nostalgia. Here is how I feel about his new record from Dua Lipa. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from Radical Optimism, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole.
Dua Lipa gets Radical Optimism going on a very bright and sunny note with the song ‘End of an Era.’ To be honest, this song has a very different tone than the three singles from this record, and kind of threw me for a loop. ‘End of an Era’ is a balmy track driven by a tropical guitar riff that is put on top of a Latin House kind of beat. Dua Lipa’s vocal performance on this track is great. Her range is so vast, and the variety of tones she sings with gives so much texture to the song. ‘End of an Era’ has such an uplifting tone that can put anyone in a good mood. In ‘End of an Era,’ Dua Lipa sings about how she is a hopeless romantic and wishes her new fling will end her single days. Next, we get the first of the three singles from this record, ‘Houdini.’ This track has a significantly darker and moodier feeling than the first one. The first thing I thought of when I initially listened to ‘Houdini’ is Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ Frankly, everything about this one reminds me of that track. From the funky riff that drives the melody(and the guitar solo for the bridge) to the 1980s Pop-esque beat to Dua Lipa’s vocal performance, this song straight up gives me ‘Thriller.’ This is not necessarily bad. ‘Houdini’ is definitely very catchy and Dua Lipa does her thing on this one for sure; ‘Houdini’ is super enjoyable for what it is. In ‘Houdini,’ Dua Lipa sings about how she is always looking out for herself and will leave a bad situation at a moment’s notice. ‘Training Season’ was the second single released in anticipation of this record. ‘Training Season’ has a similar dark and funky sound to the track that precedes it. It does feel a bit more modern than ‘Houdini,’ though. I can hear the influences of early 2000s Pop and R&B on this one as well as the Disco of the 1970s and 1980s. Like the first two tracks, Dua Lipa’s vocals are great on ‘Training Season.’ She sings with so much power, and the flow she sings the chorus with makes ‘Training Season’ such an earworm. In ‘Training Season,’ Dua Lipa sings about how she longs for love and can not seem to find the right person. ‘These Walls’ goes back to the bright and sunny tone we got on the first track of the record. The instrumental has a tint of 1970s Disco music, but also feels partly inspired by a different kind of early 2000s Pop music than what we heard on the last track. This one feels like a fusion of artists like Abba and Kelly Clarkson. It has the shimmery elements of Disco music and the Rock elements of early 2000s Adult Contemporary music. It is a cool fusion that I have not heard before and can appreciate. Dua Lipa’s vocals on ‘These Walls’ are okay, but they are not nearly as strong as they are on the first three songs. In ‘These Walls,’ Dua Lipa sings about a failing relationship that she is trying to hold on to and make work.
‘Whatcha Doing’ is significantly calmer and more chilled out than the first four tracks of the record. It is a song that is inspired by the Funk and Disco of the timid 1970s, but also feels like it has elements of Reggae music as well. The riff that drives this track is so dark and groovy, and the beat has a very relaxed feeling as well. The excellent vocals from Dua Lipa come back on ‘Whatcha Doing.’ She sings with so much emphasis; her vocals make this song so much more appealing. In ‘Whatcha Doing,’ Dua Lipa sings about being worried about jumping into a new relationship even though she feels like it may end up being really good. The laid-back tone we got from the last track continues on ‘French Exit.’ Frankly, this is the first song on the record that does not have any captivating qualities about it at all. Everything about French Exit’ is just okay to me. The melody is nice but also kind of boring, the beat is chilled out and not exhilarating in any way, and the vocals are just fine but not nearly as good as what we have heard on the majority of the rest of the record. I will not say there is anything about ‘French Exit’ that is necessarily bad or that pushes me away, but this one is also very forgettable in my opinion. I can not see myself going back to ‘French Exit’ unless I am listening to this whole album through and decide not to skip it. On ‘French Exit,’ Dua Lipa is singing about leaving her partner without officially ending it. She would rather leave without a word instead of addressing the problems she actually had with this person. The Disco influence that was big earlier in the album comes back in a huge way on ‘Illusion,’ which was the third single released before this record came out. Out of the three singles, ‘Illusion’ is easily the least engaging for me. Even though its sound is vastly different, I get a similar feeling from ‘Illusion’ I did from ‘French Exit.’ Everything about this track is just alright for me. The groovy Piano riff that drives the melody is appealing but not even close to the most catchy riff on this project, and the drum pattern is upbeat and animated, but it does not do anything that adds anything special to this song. Like ‘French Exit,’ Dua Lipa’s vocals are good on this song, but they are also a bit safe. Her range and power are evident, but she does not push herself as she does on some of the other tracks, which honestly pulls ‘Illusion’ down a bit for me. Overall, ‘Illusion’ is not bad and it can get a dance floor going, but it is not on the same level as ‘Training Season’ or ‘Houdini.’ In ‘Illusion,’ Dua Lipa sings about falling for a new partner although she realizes that things may end up badly with this new person because of their red flags. The Disco sound we got on the last song continues on ‘Falling Forever.’ In my opinion, this track just feels like a better version of ‘Illusion.’ Everything about this one is more captivating to me. The melody is brighter and more triumphant, giving this song an epic feeling that makes it very fun to sing along to. I would not be surprised at all if ‘Falling Forever’ ends up becoming a huge hit from this record, because everything about its sound is so huge and fun. Besides the enthralling melody, another thing I love about this track is the mix of the beat. The drum pattern for this track feels a lot more modern than what we heard on ‘Illusion.’ Instead of feeling like a straight-up Disco track, this feels like a Disco-Trance music fusion from the future(or rather, from the late 1990s, when this kind of music first started to have a resurgence). ‘Falling Forever’ contains what is easily one of Dua Lipa’s best vocal performances of the record, which is saying a lot. Her range on this track and she sings with so much power, adding to the monumental feeling of the track. In ‘Falling Forever,’ Dua Lipa sings about falling in love and hoping that the fleeting moment she has with this new person will last.
‘Anything For Love’ significantly calms down the mood of Radical Optimism. This is one of the most passive songs on the record, but it is also one of the quirkiest. It sort of feels like a fusion of 1990s Soulful R&B music and 1980s New Wave Pop music. ‘Anything for Love’ is way different from anything on this record, and it is influenced by sounds that I have not heard from Dua Lipa to this point. Even if this is not close to my favorite song on the record, I can appreciate the switch-up in sound and style from Dua Lipa. For what it’s worth, Dua Lipa’s vocals sound very nice on this kind of instrumental, and it shows her diversity. The biggest problem I have with ‘Anything For Love,’ to be honest, is that it is no longer. It is kind of tough to get into this one because it ends so abruptly and does not feel like it has enough substance. ‘Maria’ brings back the early 2000s Pop-Rock sound that we heard a couple of times earlier on the record. This one sort of seems to blend the New Wave Jazz Fusion we got on the last song with the Kelly Clarkson-esque Rock-tinted music that we heard on ‘These Walls.’ Like ‘Anything For Love,’ even if this kind of instrumental is not necessarily my cup of tea, I can appreciate it for what it is. I will admit that the unique melody for this track is an earworm, and it has a rhythm that can get anyone moving around when they hear it. Dua Lipa’s deep and luscious tone sounds very nice on ‘Maria.’ Her deep and full vocals make this song feel very strong and bold. On ‘Maria,’ Dua Lipa thanks her exes former partner for the way she broke her partner’s heart, as it has opened him up to love her better. Dua Lipa closes out Radical Optimism on a joyous and jubilant note with the song ‘Happy For You.’ Like ‘Falling Forever,’ this song has the kind of energy and sound that makes me certain this one will end up being a major hit. ‘Happy For You’ has a demeanor that is so climactic and grand. It has the kind of feeling that makes it feel like a perfect end-of-the-night sing-a-long kind of song. I could see this one being an excellent closing track for a Teenage Romance movie because of how charming its sound is. ‘Happy For You’ is driven by a delightful guitar riff that is complemented by a variety of celestial synths that are put on top of a snappy Synth-Pop beat. This song has a melody and tempo that builds up so nicely and gives the song such a bombastic sound. Dua Lipa’s vocals on ‘Happy For You’ are as strong as they are at any point of this record. She easily matches the cheerful feeling of the instrumental and takes the effervescent elements of this track over the top. In ‘Happy For You,’ Dua Lipa sings about how she wants her ex to be happy in his new relationship and does not feel any regret or animosity towards him. This is a very nice way to end the record that shows Dua Lipa’s growth and maturity as a woman.
Radical Optimism was a highly anticipated record that I and so many fans of Pop music were really looking forward to. After how exciting and individualistic Dua Lipa’s last record was, I was excited to see how she could push herself on this record. Regrettably, I would say that Dua Lipa did not expand her sound and try new things nearly as much on Radical Optimism as she did on Future Nostalgia. For the most part, it seems like Dua Lipa played it a bit safe on this album. Do not get me wrong, there are moments when Dua Lipa does try new things and go with styles of music we have not heard from her in the past. I would say that those moments on this record are a bit more cookie-cutter than they were on Future Nostalgia, and they do not hit in the same way as they did on that record. That said, there is still a ton to love on Radical Optimism. This is still a solid Pop record that has catchy songs that have already or will turn into international hits. Dua Lipa’s vocals on Radical Optimism are excellent, and her songwriting is very good as well. Radical Optimism does have a ton of quality, I just wanted a bit more from Dua Lipa, which I suppose is not fair. Regardless of my or anyone else’s expectations, Radical Optimism is an entertaining album that proves Dua Lipa is still as talented and prevalent as anyone else in Pop music.
EAST SIDE VIBES 