Dua Lipa

"Illusion" is still a dud though

ufo, I mostly agree with that. There aren't weak songs here, but apart from End Of An Era which I love there's nothing that touches the best moments on Future Nostalgia. I think it could grow on me after a few listens. I really like how lush and chilled out it is.

it's probably more solid as an album than future nostalgia which bizarrely fell off in the last few tracks, but it doesn't reach the same highs. i'm frustrated though because there are some good ideas that they didn't lean into enough

Meh. On first listen has none of the charm and a fraction of the hooks of Future Nostalgia.

I predict it will do well across Europe, but absolutely nothing in the US.

Sounded to me like a (flawed?) attempt to appeal more to a US “real songs” market IMO. But maybe I don’t know what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

This album isn't any more uneven than the last one. "End of an Era" is at least as much a banger as "Physical."

i like this album just fine, I think she has a solid catalog

yeah, the new album doesn't feel like a quality drop.

hands down my favorite pop star. great voice, terrible dancer, super lovable, great songs.

This album isn't any more uneven than the last one. "End of an Era" is at least as much a banger as "Physical."

― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

I'm really hooked on End of an Era at the moment. I especially love the "I've lost all my senses, la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la" bit. It's one of my favourite songs she's done.

I'm really surprised by the negative reaction this is getting online. I saw a few people call it her Solar Power which is just cold. Maria is the only one I'm not totally sold on at the moment. Even the singles have grown on me.

I'm wondering which single will be put out next. I can't really see a big Levitating moment on here.

she's my favorite recording artist of the past six years, and if people who fixate on whether a record hits #1 or not crow that she's fallen off? well I've never been hung up on fucking charts anyway and so this record is fantastic… like, it seems like chart obsessives really like math or sports, or beyhive or swifties or little monsters and people like that are really into "we're #1" triumphalism, which seems to me to be contrary to, like art and creativity and dancing and songs concerned with romance and pleasure.

I will say that she has a really interesting vocal —or pronounciative— quirk on this record… she pronounces "err" or "Urr" as "oyy": so you have "forev-oyy" instead of forever, or "nay-choyy" instead of nature.

‘Cursive singing’ is inescapable – but is it any goyidd?

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/05/cursive-singing-vocal-trend-pop-music

The sudden onboarding of this technique by Ms Lipa, of whom I am normally a big fan, has made the new record a challenging listen for me.