Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism ALBUM REVIEW
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ค. 2024
- Listen: • Dua Lipa - Illusion (O...
Pretty much a slight regression from Future Nostalgia on all fronts.
More pop reviews: • Pop Reviews
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Team: Jeremy - Lead Edits / Anthony - Final Cuts / Austen - Proofing, Posting
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FAV TRACKS: HOUDINI, TRAINING SEASON, FALLING FOREVER, MARIA
LEAST FAV TRACK: THESE WALLS
DUA LIPA - RADICAL OPTIMISM / 2024 / WARNER / DANCE POP
5/10
Y'all know this is just my opinion, right? - เพลง
This review was not radically optimistic
Radical FLOPTimism wbk
Conservatively pessimistic
Liberally opportunistic
Conventionally pessimistic like if Fantano wanted retrofuturism in the new album.
What a reactionary pessimist
These Walls by Kendrick Lamar being your least favorite song on a Dua Lipa album is pretty crazy
Was about to say that lol
he on Drizzy's side :(
Jokes aside, it's one of my favorites from this album
@@LDVenus-kz2lchis beef with Drake is pretty legendary at this point, lmao. He’s 100% on Kendrick’s side.
@@lordbauer5983 yeah, that was the joke. Good job, sport!
Turns out "Future Nostalgia" was a prophecy about how people would view that album compared to this one
Future Nostalgia nostalgia
@@ALGtheMC Future Future Nostalgia nostalgia
Future Nostalgia was a great choice of a name. The feeling of "retrospective nostalgia" (enjoying something you know it's going to be nostalgic some day) was there since day one, it's a wonderful album.
It was always a prophecy, and it ended up fullfiled.
Nope.
Both ''Future Nostalgia'' and this one are boring albums. I don't like any of those two.
The only great Dua Lipa album it was (and it still is) her debut ''Dua Lipa'' It was also her only electronic pop album she ever made.
@@user-cx6lt2ej4h thank god we have user-cx6lt2ej4h who is here to tell us what is and what isn't a good album!
If Dua had a song over the "BBL Drizzy" beat you would've given this a 10
I wish every artist alive would make a song over that beat 🤣
Dua Lipa’s yams can’t and will never bring everyone to her, unlike BBL Drizzy.
@@falcon1378 who said anything bout everyone going to Dua Lipa? I'm saying I wish every artist alive right now would make a song on the BBL Drizzy beat lol.
@@Red2332 I’m talking about the lyrics to BBL drizzy 😭😭😭
@@falcon1378 aight my bad.
Unfortunately for Dua Lipa, melon has radical pessimism 😔
Radical indifference
What?
Radical Melonism
That comment made me genuinely laugh.
😂
The extended mixes of the singles were WAY better, richer, fuller and more complete sounding, with that slight edge of psychedelia & experimentation that she’s been talking about for months. I feel like every song on the album actually has an “extended mix” and the versions we got as the album are all just edited down versions. Really hope she releases an “extended mixes” version of the whole album.
That’s what I’m hoping for too. Honestly imagine if we could see Anything for Love extended out for 4 minutes instead of 2. It could go down as an absolute banger, it just feels so incomplete
YES! My favorite is "Training Season"
Extend them all you want, they’re still meh songs to the core
SAME i think the GP will take much more kindly to the album....when...she releases the extended cut🤞🤞🤞
Another pop album for Target to play on repeat
It’s disappointing compared to not only the expectations she set for the album (she said it was going to be a psychedelic or Brit pop type album and it wasn’t) but also compared to future nostalgia. But if we take it as a standalone standard chill pop Dua Lipa album, I think it works pretty well. I like it more than others seem to, tho I get why the general reception to this is meh.
I also enjoyed this record quite a bit, but I have not heard all of Future Nostalgia, yet (minus the radio singles, of course). I've never really enjoyed much pop music until the last year or two, but I always found the Dua's songs to be pretty infectious. I was mostly just looking to have fun with this record, and I definitely did, but it is unfortunate if it's a bit of a step down, creatively
sure, but who wanted that at this point, no matter what expectations she and management set?
@@AgainstTheeWickedlyMusic I kinda wonder whats your opinion on CRJ?
@@ringa_ringa_ling honestly, I've never really listened to her (apart from the singles I heard on the radio as a kid). I know she went through a phase of making more artsy pop, which is usually in the realm of things I like, so I wouldn't be surprised if I would ending up liking (at least) some of her material
@@AgainstTheeWickedlyMusic What's your favorite pop artists? Have you given Prince or Kate bush a try?
honestly i’m not really sure what went wrong with this album. i have no clue what happened to the “psychedelic” angle she was going for because i didn’t get that from this album. it just barely scratches the surface of what it was trying to do in almost every aspect. it just felt like a plain piece of white bread.
I imagine Kevin prob cooked up some crazy shit and the label/management went WOOOOOOAAAAHHHHHH THERE HOLD YER HORSES
And now it’s this
The extended versions of the singles were promising in that sense
"it just felt like a plain piece of white bread" depends on the brand, some of that shit is so loaded with sweetener and other things too that they are more dessert than part of a meal.
I totally agree with you, we can see glimpses of it on happy for you, whatcha doing @@Viper-dz2kw
It’s Dua Lipa… was yall really expecting anything other than a plain piece of white bread?
After everything that was teased from this album (before illusion), this feels very off from what Dua was originally teasing. Training Season and Houdini somewhat underperformed for her standards (even tho dua is known for sleeper hits), thus she or more likely her label got scared and the album was changed/rearranged in a way that would appeal to a broader audience and for the summer vibe. Even the visuals for the first two singles are incredibly different from the albums visuals.
Ughhhhh i wish theyd have just full sent it
This is such a good point
And as a result they have taken the soul out of this album.
I sense that she had some conflict with the label, and now they're just not really promoting it.
This is EXACTLY what I’m thinking. Houdini sounds nothing like Future Nostalgia - the people who are saying that are just hearing drums and her vocals lol. While it definitely lives in the realm of her general dance pop sound, it was different enough to bridge the gap from FN to the new era. It was commercial but still slightly experimental and starting to touch that “psychedelic” sound she was teasing. I think the plan was to build on that, but by the time they were ready to release Training Season, Houdini had “flopped” at least by Dua’s own standards. So I think either she, her team, or the label freaked out a bit. Then they released Training Season which still has bit of that different sound but was much more mainstream poppy and similar to her past work. That flopped even worse than Houdini, causing them to pivot and make the album more traditional pop like her debut album. I actually love Illusion but it sounds like her debut album - just pure dance pop/electronic and wildly different from Houdini and Training season and the whole “psychedelic pop” sound she had told us was coming. She’s said in interviews that’s she written about 100 songs for this album, so it’s totally feasible she wrote more mainstream poppy songs as well as the psychedelic pop songs, and they just switched the tracks when they pivoted. That’s my working theory. Because it’s not just the sudden shift in sound it’s the aesthetics shift that really threw me off and makes me think things changed. We went from the dark edgy vibes of Houdini and Training Season to bright fun summer ocean vibes with Illusion and the album cover art. It makes no sense how they are from the same album lol. Mind you her numbers for the singles are still good and aren’t really flops by any other metric - it’s just that compared to future nostalgia they are flops for her
Tbh, my expectations for this album were pretty high, given the fact that Kevin Parker and Danny L. Harle had production credits on the majority of the record, and that "Houdini" was such a strong lead single, but it kind of felt like a letdown. I feel like I only hear Kevin's fingerprints on "Houdini", while the rest of the album sounds like it could've been produced by the same producers on Future Nostalgia. There are still some bangers on this album, but I'd take FN over this anyday.
I wasn’t a big fan of this album, but I enjoyed End of An Era for sounding like a Tame Impala “The Slow Rush” outtake. I think his fingerprints are all over that one
Kevin's fingerprints are present, especially in whatcha doing with the bass and happy for you where you hear literally the same currents synths used on new person same old mistakes or list of people... But overall this album was far from being psychedelic as it was sold
@@nolaffinmatterhad felt the same vibe from that song too
Totally agree - doesn't sound like the match really worked, maybe label people getting involved
I like your profile picture ❤
So you’re telling me you had tame impala produce the whole thing just to make mostly bland dance pop?
Literally could have replaced him with anyone else lol
It was gonna happen regardless. Kevin completely abandoned his psychedelic roots for bland dance pop years ago.
@@ultimadum7785exactly. He’s NOT making the type of stuff we love from like 10 years ago. Wish he still was that shit hit so hard
Happens almost every time one of these big popstars invites an "alternative" artist to produce for them. They're mostly just interested in the artistic/journalistic cred, and are too concerned with their bottom line to actually take any significant risks.
@@jvictor3048 idk how truthful that is Houdini was def a big risk. I think this might’ve been a little bit of the studio wanting a poppier album
Dua should have trusted Kevin and let him produce the entire album.
Agreed, almost like another melody’s echo chamber - can you imagine?
His production is not the best here tbh (Illusion)
@@Basedmursenary Totally, it would be awesome!
@@Bati_ dont agree, perhabs Illusion its not the best production but also it was the very first song they made it to this album so i guess it just took more time and courage to be on the level of training season and houdini, less pop, more psycodhelic
The problem of this album for ME is not just her, but midia said that it was going to be a psychedelic album with british rave influences and there were nothing like that, but the singles. I don't think it's a bad album, each time I listen to it, it gets better but its just a bit disappointing that she didn't went that way
who is midia
so funny when fans are chewing their artists bad albums until they go thru 😭 feel bad for people who choose to stan inconsistent artists they have to force themselves to like them😭
right and she did all those kaleidoscope visuals before Houdini im like was I missing something? Am i crazy for feeling like we were getting Dua impala
@@rubencamargo767?
I agree. I like the album, but they should've kept that glowing, passionate psychedelics post disco (?) sound throughout the majority of the album, not just like three songs.
I stand in the camp that the album was reworked after Training Season was released. All of the promo and visual for it prior was so much more psychedelic and dark. I wish she had kept more of that sound along with Houdini.
Illusion worried me…and then the album did not deliver. Future Nostalgia was all bops no stops (minus the end) but this was so painfully generic.
Agreed, I’m honestly pretty sad. This was one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Houdini went so hard on the production front, idk what happened…
I’m there too. Houdini had me thinking this album was going to be my whole summer, but I sincerely think management thought that was too risky for whatever reason.
More bland Ross, Marshall’s and Kohl’s music for people to Shazam once and never think about again. Disappointing, waited 6 months for an album I’ll listen to once. At least we got Houdini.
@@falcon1378 which is so crazy because when she pushes boundaries, even for her position in pop, she’s great?
@@NikkuManAMVs I just wanna see her step out her shell. She already has a super versatile sound, so I understand why she’d think that a conservative approach works: because it does, but it’s like she forgets that she can experiment. Whenever she does, she sounds great.
I am so mad if they changed shit last minute!!! Even if musical risks dont necesarily land w everyone, i think overall folks are more likely to respect/appreciate when a real original attempt was made!!;
She was never going to top Future Nostalgia. That album was the herald of a real golden age of mainstream music for me, so I only hoped this album wouldn't suck. I'm enjoying it a surprising amount and think her vocals on certain tracks are the best they've ever sounded. Happy For You and Maria get me surprisingly emotional, and I still do think even though she can't clear the bar she set for herself, this album is still leagues ahead of most mainstream pop and I'd give it more flowers than this.
But it does suck so your hopes are lost
Totally agree about it being part of a golden age. Future Nostalgia felt like another world to me, the aesthetics and sonic influences were next level and it will always be my favourite album. Nu disco and electropop can be so bland but FN was so slick and unique.
Kevin Parker saying that he’s never been more proud of an album he’s worked on than this one is crazy
Quite the endorsement
The extended versions of her songs are much better. Makes the instrumentals pop up and the energy of the song linger in a satisfying progression. Hope she releases an "extended" deluxe version.
Not really. Extend a boring song and you just get a longer boring song
This record’s mix would be so much cooler if it featured the bass or bass synths more prominently like Future Nostalgia. These songs don’t have the groove.
Houdini has a sexy bass line
honestly i agree. she should just stick to what shes good at, because when she does the album turns out amazing. respect the attempt to experiment but the future nostalgia elements should be a part of her entire sound rather than just on that album. it was a really cool and unique sound
This really is a pretty bland & boring album unfortunately. Matching Future Nostalgia was always going to be incredibly difficult but this is a huge drop-off in quality.
Boring album lol
I agree. The lyrics could have been saved by decent instrumentals, but the instrumentals are completely forgettable and generic. I don't like a single song on this album
Sure, there are a few snoozers, but I like how chill this album is. Training season, Houdini, Falling forever, These walls, Maria and illusion are enough to make this album worth listening.
I liked it, but it feels like this wasn’t meant to be the final album? She was saying how this was a psychedelic record and had influences from Massive Attack and Primal Scream. I wonder if the label made her do some changes? Despite that, I really really do love Happy For You!
Unfortunately, I think she just promoted it badly in this sense and the art direction from the beginning has not helped at all :,(
Based off of Houdini I think they’re original intention was to go in the more psychedelic/ rave/ trance direction but because it wasn’t a wildly successful single her team panicked and reverted to plan B which is her golden formula- dance pop. Only problem is you can repeat a formula so many times before it becomes redundant. If Sabrina was to continue making songs like Espresso it will become stale at some point. RO is reminiscent of her earlier work but less impressive
they really said they wanted to "REVOLUTIONZE POP MUSIC WITH THE MOST RADICAL POP ALBUM EVER MADE" then dropped literally the most generic pop sh*t I've actually heard IN YEARS 😭😭😭😭😭 just INSANE marketing, if it wasn't for it I just wouldn't've I minded it but because of it I actively disliked it, overpromise is an understatement, switch it up next time both the music and the presentation
She chose the worst time in history to drop a album. Like imagine no one caring about dua lipa's new album
Why?
@@jeanoltt it released while the rap beefs are happening so no one paying attention to anything else
@@michaelg4981ya i doubt duas target audience cares about rap beefs
No one? I'm sure pop cosumers dont care about the hip hop beef @@michaelg4981
Swift, yonce, grande, billie albums. Too much competition.
Its time for cal to freestyle over bbl drizzy
We’ve been waiting…
I actually like These Walls and would have preferred it as a single over Illusion based solely on the fact that it's a different sound for Dua - mellower, more vulnerable, and breezier, especially considering the singles that came before it, it would provided a bigger sonic distinction from those harder hitting tracks. Yes, the instrumental is not the best, but at least it doesn't sound as tired as Illusion.
Totally agree, and Illusion could've served its purpose being released just on the album as something for fans of Future Nostalgia
In a time of great beef, we could use some radical optimism
I actually really enjoyed this album but the expectations and false advertising let people down I'd say.
Most people who listen to her music aren’t engaged in the music world at all, so they probably haven’t heard the false advertising. They’ll hear it on the radio, like it, add it to their playlist, and move on with their day
Her BBL Drizzy remix was certainly a late addition to the album, but a welcome one
so i'm the only person who thought this album was great? this album getting hit with middling reviews left and right? okay
You’re not alone bro. I think it’s great too ❤
Not her best work and it was a bit disappointing because the first two singles were very good, but still liked it
@@zacharyshen811Houdini was so good it is better than anything she has done but she failed to follow what it and training season has set
You are not alone these people get used to listen garbage albums meaningless lyrics
I enjoyed it as well. It baffles me how people get a kick out of watching two grown ass dudes writing each other rap songs, but apparently find this album "boring" to listen to.
I was hyping this album up with all my friends for the past 3 weeks, and apologised after it came out😐
As you should
Lesson learned: "Hype after it drops not before"
If it didn’t take 4 years for a 37 minute album, I would give it more grace for being so mid😅
It’s unfortunate, but maybe this will be a wake up call. I’ve seen artists try to recreate their success and fail and then make something very different and it going down as a hit. Maybe in half a decade will get that Future Nostalgia beater but until then, I’ll be replaying Maria for the 50th time
I think most of the negative reviews are based on the insanely high expectations people had on this. Future Nostalgia was amazing, a 10/10 of the genre, but you can't expect her to do a full twist and turn into the Chemical Brothers, she's still Dua Lipa, a pop artist.
For me, the album was really fun; a fresh sound, and a bit reminiscent of her first LP. Songs like Falling Forever and These Walls are between the best she has ever done, and the first two singles will survive the pass of time, and become some of the best known Dua songs.
Admitedly, it's not a 10, but it's also not a 5 in pop scale... although to each their own.
But I don't think albums should be judged only on the basis of its specific genre, rather it should be how good it sounds based on the entire musical landscape
@@grandmaster5183 That's impossible, we can't use the same scale for Beethoven and Bad Bunny.
@@jeanoltt That's way too extreme
She did work with Kevin Parker on this album, who is obviously capable of delivering on that psychedelic vibe. If she did that, this album would've been way more interesting.
But I have to disagree though even when looking at it as a pop album. Pop can be interesting, even experimental. There are way better pop albums than this, so a 6 at best sounds reasonable to me.
Very much a boring album
The drop off from Future Nostalgia to this was...radical alright. This feels like The Dark Knight Rises to the The Dark Knight kinda drop off
It's wild that Dua teamed up with Kevin Parker and they produced one of the most mid albums of the year 😢
Kevin's been mid since 2016. He doesn't make interesting music anymore
@@Gothstanathe slow rush was great
It’s not that mid as y’all say
@@Polasity well I'm glad you like it. I love Houdini. You can definitely see Parker's style on that track.
@@Kanyewestbiggestfan123 Agreed. It was amazing live.
dissapointing considering it took 4 years of waiting
Agree
The record is splited in two : singles produced by tame Impala and rest of songs, which feels like 2 separated projects
The same few people worked on all the tracks, so the different vibe between the singles and the other songs is extra odd. I'd argue they still have some things in common though and fit together still?
Houdini and training season were SO GOOD as singles and their extened versions are supreme, just like the extended version of illusion is actually compelling. Idk what went wrong with the other songs... We need an extended version of the whole album
I'm not gonna lie, I thought Fantano was going to give this a lower score. Maybe some leftover goodwill from Future Nostalgia kicking it up a bit.
sounds like she only had one melody trough the album
3:10 "Focusing Dua into a musical corner that seems based."
I'm glad we agree, Melon.
Yeah this was a bit of a let down. I was wondering why I didn't see any posts about it on twitter, and then i listened to it myself, and understood. I had higher expectations for RO because Kevin Parker worked with Dua on it, but it just really didn't come close to my expectations. Rn my top 2 tracks are Houdini and French Exit.
I felt like 'Illusion' was clearly pulling a lot more from French house artists like Daft Punk and Justice than it was 80s disco tbh, and that influence even feels like a pretty consistent sonic through-line to the album. Overall, this album felt to me like it was consciously moving Dua Lipa's sonic palette out of the 1980s and into the late-1990s/2000s eras of dance and house music. And to me, that move was successful as I really enjoyed a good handful of songs on this album and the level of scrutiny on this feels a little undeserved.
Also 'These Walls' is my most played pop song of the year... lmao
i’d give it a light 7, end of an era, houdini, whatcha doing, french exit, falling forever, happy for you are all great
I agree, jeez its a fun summer pop album that will probably have a deluxe and remix album later.
I knew it would be a 5. This was a quick turnaround tho bro! Thought we’d have to wait longer for this
dula peep dropping this album during the beef goes CRAZY
Hell yeah she's a G she don't care about no beef AT ALL 🤣
@@Red2332 What beef?
Like their fanbases have anything to do with eachother lol
@@Airam_ the kendrick and drake beef. they’ve been dropping diss tracks the past week and dua didn’t fear releasing it lmao
The music aside, I’m genuinely in love with this album cover for some reason. The composition, the vibes, idk…it’s just perfect and makes me feel satisfied
Poor dua, I completely forgot about her new album until I saw this video. So caught up in all the disses and whatnot
the extended versions of the singles truly are better. hopefully she releases and extended version of the whole album
Honestly, pop albums for me this year have so far been disappointing. Like, I pretty much agree with Fantano that this album is a step down from Future Nostalgia and just not as fun since the production to me is cool, but a bit one dimensional and while I like Dua Lipa’s performance on this album, it doesn’t save it from just being an overall average pop album. My problem with the pop release I’ve listened to so far this year is that they’ve usually been average like with this and eternal sunshine or they’ve been straight up bland with TTPD.
I love all the artists that have released albums thus far but unfortunately Cowboy Carter is the only one that lived up to expectations.
@@victoriagarcesmua I agree.
does anyone have a clue why the record is so different from the singles? was houdini just a huge bait or did she have to switch it up last minute due to label requirements or some shi
Yeah a lot of comments are talking about this topic. The changed the sound of the album after the two singles houdini and training season didn’t get so much hype for dua lipa standards. Houdini is a banger, it’s dark and sexy I mean the red hair, the performances, the cover art and the music video, and also the trippy covers on Spotify - nothing of this fits with the sound of the other songs 😄 so it makes sense that they changed the whole direction of the album.
if these walls were a track from to pimp a butterfly, it would have been features in your fav tracks.
happy for you is one of dua’s best songs ever
Looked at in isolation, I think this is a very strong pop album with lots of bops, but looked at in terms of her career path, this feels like treading water and diminishing returns on the same formula. In other words, if Future Nostalgia and the disco pop trend had not existed already, this would have been pretty damn great.
FanThony Antano been cooking with the thumbnails lately
I think These Walls is the best non single song on the album.
I agree with Anthony. Maria and Houdini are the ones that are going to be on my future listens.
Just because "These Walls" didn't have moaning sounds doesn't mean it's the worst on the album, Anthony
Am I the only one that hears literally no departure from the sound of future nostalgia and this album, except for all the things that made FN interesting
That Cal bit got me. "you wanted this" 😂
When Dua said her next album would be a departure from Future Nostalgia I was HYPED. "Dance the Night" was great but was obviously a continuation of that sound. When Houdini came out I was puzzled because it seemed like a continuation of the late 70s, early 80s sound in Future Nostalgia. Sam goes for "Illusion", her recent single that I thought would be on the album.
This album is neither a repeat of Future Nostalgia nor is it a radical departure. I wish she'd just refine and improve the Future Nostalgia sound or do something completely new. I really enjoyed Future Nostalgia and I have to agree, Melon, this album was underwhelming.
Illusion is on the album tho
This album let me down real hard and I actually predicted your score perfectly. But your take on French exit isn’t it, it was the best song on the album with some crazy Ne-Yo and like turkish Pop vibes it went crazy
As a major dua lipa fan I can say that this album wasn’t that dope. I feel like she shot herself in the foot with future nostalgia cause that shit was so peak that i dont know how she’ll ever top it.. still love her tho
I’m just glad she avoided the red flannel on this one 😅 I like the album, but it’s just nowhere near the last one. Hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
You should look into Have A Nice Life's newly remastered compilation Album "Voids", which is comprised of unreleased demos, that are good enough to be a stand-alone final piece, and earlier versions of songs on other albums with a more moody, darker, ambient atmosphere that really differentiates them from their final counterparts.
I love Have A Nice Life. If it was deliberate, talking about Have A Nice Life in the comments of a review of "Radical Optimism" specifically, is genius 😂
3:05 What do you mean instrumentally? I think this is the best thing on the album, the beats. I can agree with calling it rather generic but man... this right here didnt make sense.
It's a good album I'll give her that. It's very easy passive music though, it's missing a key concept and story and just seems like a singles collection of stuff
Da melon king is back baby he neva miss we're eating good today y'all
Definitely a grower. I had high hopes of another 10/10 album like FN, but the first few listens to this did leave me feeling slightly underwhelmed too. I enjoy it more and more with each listen though so maybe it'll prove to be a slow burner.
I'm surprised there wasn't more discussion of Happy For You, which I think is one of the most mature and honest pop songs written in the last few years.
Lyrically, I love how blatant and honest it is, Dua literally saying to whoever the song's about that his new girl is really pretty and that "together you look hot as hell" - it's not metaphoric, it's not sugar coated, it's comes from a place of such strong mutual understanding to say outright how she feels about an ex's new girl, and I love it.
And the chorus? "I must've loved you more than I ever knew" - oh my god don't even get me started. When you've had two prior albums talking about relationships and how well they are/aren't going, how you fall in and out of love, to have the troubles and bumps that Dua speaks of in her songs, to be able to look back at the outcome of a breakup and see that positive side to it for both parties, speaks volumes to how Dua has grown as a person from Future Nostalgia to this record.
Happy For You honestly encapsulates the "Radical Optimism" almost entirely within itself, it's by far and away my favourite song on the project, and I'll die happy if it's the next single.
Not as grand as I would have liked, especially when compared to the singles like houdini and training season. But Illusion is 100% up there with those tracks
Talk about por cesárea by Dilom Melón🙏🏿,it's a pretty short spanish rap album that has very obscure lyrics,it's definetly worth listening to
Looking forward to your review of the new Lemon Twigs album.
please tell me you’re gonna do willow, i really wanna know you’re thoughts on it
Would be really nice to see a "funk generation" review
I agree. Future Nostalgia was totally different from her debut. This one is trying to continue the success of F.N. That album made her a superstar and I guess she was afraid to make a change this time around. I haven't heard much buzz about this album and I highly doubt she will overtake Taylor 3 weeks in.
End of an Era is good, no idea why he finds it boring.
As long as there’s no more upcoming diss tracks, I’m expecting The Lemon Twigs review tomorrow. 😭🙏
Lately every review I've watched from needle man has been funny. My favorite tracks are always his least but I think it's a good thing.
Can we also talk about how much the album's second half sags compared to the first? This is a front-loaded, uneven album. Most of the best tracks are in the first half.
Even the Kevin Parker production couldn't save this album
I like the new thumbnails
Was this shot the same day as the beef is over video lmao
Hey melon, please review Por cesarea by Dillom. He is an argentinian artist. I know that it’s in spanish, but it doesn’t disappoint.
As much as I love Dua, I agree with Melon. Since this album followed Future Nostalgia, it had some lofty expectations placed on it, and it simply didn't come close to meeting those expectations. I watched a few album promo interviews, and I got the sense that Dua was worried about that being the case.
You should review Melt’s EP: Waves
the seer sneak in the background 🫶🫶
I didn't have an entire emotional journey listening to Happy For You for it not to be mentioned at all here 😭 maybe it hits harder for some of us personally but like WOW what a power ending
maybe this album can be a "grower" w time ... but right now ... if Illusion was on Side A (vinyl talking) i wouldnt turn it to side B !!!!
nice ... but i was expecting so much ... from the 3 singles previewing the album release !!!!
it seem like those 3 were the best ones ... i shouild be na EP ... a summer EP
oh well ... why i keep doing pre-order of album months before its release ... i never learn it !!!
Greetings from Portugal
FILIPE
Please review Rachel Chinouriri's album What a Devastating Turn of Events
1:02 that is top tier acting wtf melon i'm impressed
I also thought that cover of kendrick's song was kinda weird ngl
I don't get that angle of always comparing to the previous album, music isn't like a test you're supposed to improve on.
It just feels like you were hoping for a future nostalgia 2 but she didn't go for that way.
Not saying the record is perfect but a 5 is harsh af for what feels like a more matured attempt at portraying those feelings in songs
we want the kamasi washington review anthony
I honestly really liked the album. I can address it as being quite underwhelming compared to Future Nostalgia, and considering that virtually every track on the album has high quality dance pop/nu disco production and influence, and it would be genuinely very difficult to dominate the pop perfection Future Nostalgia held in many aspects of both its music and aesthetic. I'm not even a retro synth pop/disco fan, but I absolutely LOVE Hallucinate, Don't Start Now, Pretty Please and Good In Bed. they were all released over 4 years ago, yet they still hit hard. However, I don't want to compare FN and Radical Optimism as much as it makes sense to. Dua was holding the same 80s tinged nu disco sound for years, and I was happy to hear she's willing to grow as an artist and change a sound connected strongly with her persona. I'm not a fan of either disco our psychedelic pop (my favourite pop subgenres are synth pop, pop rock and indie pop), but I've managed to vibe with both in virtually the same ways, because I like catchy music and Dua served in both albums, regardless of how simple and straightforward the production was on RO, I can appreciate it as a summery chill dance pop album with her typical influence from some sort of pop subgenres iconic to the 80s or 90s (that being psychedelic pop for RO). I can understand why people are avoiding this album - after all, we all know Dua for her constant upbeat, energetic, fun nu disco sound - but she is very versatile and she also sounds great with summer style music. her vocals are shining in every track, and the tracks are energetic, just in a deeper, more relaxing way. I can always appreciate her for standing out in the pop industry, bringing us refreshing dance pop that isn't all about trash pop rap beats and lazy lyrical writing. I really like Maria, Houdini, Illusion (I'm head over heels for house) and French Exit. Happy For You is a highlight. I'm personally very happy with her sound and production change, but I respect your opinion Anthony ❤
7/10 (imo)
If you added together the number of Jaws movies and Sharknado movies, then divide it by 2, you'd get this album's score.
At first I would’ve agreed that this album was kind of a disappointment but I’ve been listening to it all week and it’s really grown on me, I can’t get a lot of the songs out of my head which is always a good sign
The last albums of Dua didn't really work for me but this one I love it ... Idk it feels light and sunny, it's just clean and perfect as it is. Didn't expected that from Dua
French Exit is a caroline polachek song sung by dua lipa. Yes it stands out a bit on the album but I still love it