Review of Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' Album

Here we go again. Since November when 'Houdini' came out, I was patiently waiting for the next project, and to be honest, it took a lot of time. I went through different phases of thought regarding the success that would come from the album. I wondered after every single that Dua put out if 'Radical Optimism' would connect with the mass audience. 'Training Season' seemed like it wouldn't connect as the previous phases of the artist. Even 'Illusion', with its familiar beat, falls short of what 'Levitating', 'Break My Heart', and 'Physical' brought for 'Future Nostalgia' back then, when those were considered somehow niche versions of Dua Lipa, comparing to her first album which was consumed by everyone. Now, after my second listen to the new album, the whole vibe became clear. I actually don't care if the whole energy will be translated to others because it clicked. This whole album has the underlying tone of radical optimism and it's easily able to channel my emotions into it. Once again, Dua Lipa captured what was going on in my life and put it into her songs here. I just fell in love almost immediately with every beat. For some, it took a bit more time, but once I became adjusted to the new sound and psychedelic tone, I was able to hear the lyrics.

'These Walls' opened me to what this album is and will be for me in the near future. Everything she sings about resonates right at this very moment in time. It looks like 'Radical Optimism' will serve as a path of healing after all the fire of emotions I had experienced the last month, and Dua Lipa shares that she has never been so open before with any project. Her creative process here allowed her to go deeper and reach for more, delivering for what it seems another hit album that is extremely relatable and just on time. The funkadelic vibes and undertone of the whole album transform the devastating and depressing lyrics into an optimistic anthem that will carry me for the rest of the summer. 'It's not a broken heart if I don't break it,' sings our Dua in the new song 'French Exit,' which is one of my favorite songs on the album, and girl if I may just add how eye-opening that is. Sometimes you need someone to slap you with their lyrics like a good old wake-up call. Another gem in the album that delivers is 'Anything For Love', the song carries another favorite lyrics 'And I'm not interested in a love that gives up so easily' and just like that this album jizzed inside me.

Since 'Future Nostalgia' came out, I was wondering where she is going next. Can she repeat this success and bring a new line of music to the mass audience? With a couple of stand-alones like 'We're Good' and 'Dance the Night' from 'Barbie,' the direction was still not clear. Even though the music was delivering, it didn't have the new and original vibes that I now expect from the artist. With 'Radical Optimism,' Dua Lipa did what she did back then with the nostalgia; she continues to carve a new direction for herself. The sound of this new experience reminds me of something that we would have listened to in the 90s mixed with modern upbeat psychedelic pop. The experimentation that she is willing to do here cements her as one of my favorite artists. I feel at this point that she was able to create another album that is perfect from top to bottom, which is an extremely difficult task. Unfortunately, I kind of dislike the marketing campaign surrounding this album. Every post and video seemed generic and lacked depth and realness. For me, those soulless attempts to interact with the audience seemed like mere pins on a calendar, rather than genuine outreach, ultimately doing this album a disservice.

Nevertheless, 'If these walls could talk,' they would probably say that this album will be my summer gem and it will provide the needed vibe to transform me, as an art project should do.

Iliya Badev