Dua Lipa, an English singer, released her sophomore album Future Nostalgia on March 27. The tracks were an interesting fusion of old and new, combining a nostalgic 80s themed sound with futuristic techno music. The lyrics tend to focus on relationships with a few hitting deeper themes, making a nice but forgettable album.

The first song is the title track, Future Nostalgia. Right off the bat, a listener is able to understand why it’s called Future Nostalgia. The music sounds very techno, and Dua Lipa sings about creating change in the music industry and being a powerful woman. Her purpose in singing this track was to make a fun song about female empowerment and though she achieves that goal with strong lyrics, in the end I found myself not really caring for it. While the words had good flow and meaning, the musicality and memorability was lacking. The song was average at best, and I believe there was a better way to start the album.

Don’t Start Now immediately followed, a fun, dance-like track which doubles as a break-up anthem. My initial reaction upon listening was a sense of surprise, because many TikTok users use this sound for their videos. Regardless, this song emphasized Dua Lipa’s distinctive voice, showcasing how smooth it is and how it flows. Cool has a similar theme, and seems to blend into the background but the pattern of songs changes with the song Physical. This song was much more aggressive than the past two, with a steady beat which made me feel ready to take on the world. The lyrics were also more wholesome than in the other two, about mutual support and caring instead of about a breakup.

Continuing the positive vibes was Levitating, made interesting by the fact that for the majority of the track, Dua Lipa seems to be singing the lyrics in more of a spoken fashion. The almost rap-like style appeals to me, and captures the feeling of being in a new relationship, when everything seems to be perfect. The song fills my heart, and makes me want to fall in love. Break my Heart, though later in the album, has the same style of singing as this song, but was more layered. The background vocals reminded me of Ariana Grande’s voice, light and floaty, and the entire tune made me want to dance. The ending of Break my Heart was especially memorable, since the last note was just Dua Lipa’s voice without any backing track, leaving the listener with a haunting mood.

Pretty Please was one of the few songs on this album which stood out to me, as it let Dua Lipa explore the lower part of her range and resulted in a more jazzy, smoky sound. It had a more chill vibe than other tracks on the album, making it more relaxed and good background music. Love Again made me realize why exactly the album was called Future Nostalgia, combining a disco like feel with techno sounds which seem to come from this modern era. The balance between using classical instruments as well as more recent melodies was tasteful, adding spice to an otherwise mediocre song.

The album finished with Boys Will be Boys, probably the most serious track on the album. While keeping a light tone, the song discusses how society forces girls to mature faster and lets boys get away with more. It is very outwardly feminist, and the lyrics definitely hit closer to home than others.

Dua Lipa released an album which didn’t leave a lasting impact on me, with some songs being the exception. Most of the songs seemed to revolve around boyfriends or breakups, and seemed to blend together, making the listening experience a bit dull. Some of the lyrics were nice, but to me they didn’t counter the unexceptional musicality. I believe Dua Lipa could have shown a lot more growth, especially since her previous album, Dua Lipa, showcased her talents much better.