Dua Lipa Radical Optimism review: A good mix of pop tunes

In the days where artists, especially female artists, are expected to constantly reinvent themselves with every new release, there is a heavy expectation on Dua Lipa’s third studio album, Radical Optimism.

Released in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic Dua’s last album, Future Nostalgia, was for many an antidote to those trying times. Songs like ‘Don’t Start Now,’ ‘Physical,’ and ‘Levitating’ kept spirits up with the psychedelic imagery they conjured of long-missed club nights and dance floors while we had only our homes to enjoy. The sheer number of certified hits on Future Nostalgia, and that many are still played frequently today, four years on, speaks to its brilliance, enduring legacy, and the love from fans.

In short, Radical Optimism doesn’t quite match up to its predecessor. But that’s not to say it’s a bad album. Whereas Future Nostalgia focused, in every regard, on having fun, Dua’s third album comes from a more mature place. Where before Dua sang about rioting on the dancefloor she now sings about knowing what she wants with empowered lyrics and a new sense of confidence.

This also isn’t to say that the fun has stopped, far from it. The singles ‘Houdini,’ ‘Training Season,’ and ‘Illusion’ are all highlights and see Dua in her prime creating tracks sure to get you on the dancefloor. As she sings on the latter song, “I could do this dance all night.” Despite being in a new era, Dua hasn’t lost sight of her strengths and tried too radical a shift in genre as other female pop stars have to minimal success.

“Radical Optimism is still a great entry”

On other songs like ‘Whatcha Doing’, Dua is more contemplative, questioning others as well as herself and her own emotions. We get to see more of Dua on Radical Optimism. The aptly named ‘End Of An Era’ opens the album, and as well as signifying the end of the Future Nostalgia era (‘Dance the Night’ from Barbie making for the perfect epilogue), it clearly sets up the album and lets us know what we’re in for. Describing herself as “hopelessly romantic” Dua longs for her own happy ending, the title referencing her singledom.

The charming ‘Anything for Love’ starts out with a gentle twinkling piano before shifting up a gear with a funky beat as Dua longs for a more romantic time “when we used to do anything for love” and the age of grand gestures like standing outside our paramour’s house with a boombox. On ‘Falling Forever’ we get powerful vocals and on the ‘Jolene’-esque and strong ‘Maria’ Dua sings to another woman to “ thank you for all that you’ve done” to make the singer’s current man “the sweetest.” It’s a mature sentiment made clear with: “Here’s to the lovers that make you change.” And ‘These Walls’ feels like a classic modern pop song.

On the album’s final track, ‘Happy For You’ Dua, singing to a former lover of her own, shares her happiness that they’ve moved on and found love in the arms of another. The song joins a growing collection of pop songs taking a similar approach to breakups recognising how they inform who we are as well as the genuine love once shared. With birds chirping at the end, it makes a natural conclusion to Radical Optimism indicating where Dua is now.

“Future Nostalgia is a hard act to follow up”

Whereas Future Nostalgia largely went from strength to strength maintaining some consistency in vibe, here things are a little more up and down. ‘Houdini’ and ‘Training Season’ make for a natural double-act after which things vary. Not every song is a winner either, with ‘Whatcha Doing’ and ‘French Exit’ fading into the background compared to the other highlights. The touted influence of Britpop and “a psychedelic-pop-infused tribute to UK rave culture” don’t make themselves the clearest here either. Some criticism that the album’s singles ‘all sound the same’ is unwarranted and the rest of the album certainly proves that. For some of its slight missteps, Radical Optimism is still a great entry. Future Nostalgia is a hard act to follow up but said follow up comes with a good mix of pop tunes, some for the dancefloor and some not.

Radical Optimism is streaming now.