React: Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism
It's the End Of An Era.
I wouldn’t be lying if I said Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia basically carried me through the early days of the pandemic. What better than to have an upbeat dance album during a time when a lot of people were stuck in their homes.
Anyway, her music has continued to be in my daily rotation of songs and I am very excited for her newest album. I remember going to her concert back in 2022. I didn’t have the best seats in the house but her sets and the screens made it a great experience.
So without further ado, here’s Dua Lipa Radical Optimism.
End Of An Era
Firstly, I think the title of this track is interesting. What does she mean exactly? I guess we’ll find out very soon.
Starting off strong with a funky bass line and a count in from Dua herself. I think if this track really is signaling a new era, it’ll be an interesting one. I wasn’t expecting the first track to be, for the lack of a better term, so experimental. The sound is a departure from her previous work. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s just different.
If anything, this track is giving me laid back happy vibes. Which is different from her typical in your face, dance-pop tracks she’s known for. Though, I do find the static noise at the end of the track rather interesting.
I don’t know how to feel about this track quite yet. I think it’s one to revisit once I hear the rest of the album. But I’m torn at the moment.
Houdini
So this is where I put the disclaimer that I’ve heard all three singles on this album plenty of times. That’s Houdini, Training Season, and Illusion.
Obviously, I can’t react to something I’ve already heard so here are my thoughts on Houdini. I think this track was the right call for the first single on the album. It’s familiar, it’s fun, and it’s classic Dua.
Musically, I don’t think the song is terribly interesting. Though the instrumental breakdown is a nice break and leans into Dua’s dance nature. Vocally, I love the vocal effects. The backing vocals complement the main vocals well and give the overall vocal stack an almost three-dimensional sound, despite it being a stereo track. Most of the instrumentation and vocals seem to have a high-pass filter added, giving the track a more "retro" vibe and sound.
But the most interesting part of the song isn’t the song itself but the dance that comes along when Dua sings the track live. Dare I say that the track may have been produced around the dance and not the other way around?
Although, I do like that she brought back the vocoder for the end of the track. That’s what made Levitating such an addictive track, in my opinion.
Training Season
Training Season is my second favorite single on the track (gee - I wonder what my favorite single is). I love the plucked guitar and the track flows much better than Houdini, in my opinion.
Then you have the piano and acoustic guitar combination leading into the chorus. It’s a great combination and I’d wager most people won’t hear the acoustic guitar on first pass.
If Houdini was dance first and song second, Training Season is the complete opposite. The track is insanely addictive and I can’t seem to stop listening to the track.
These Walls
I love how happy this song makes me feel and I’m not even 20 seconds into it yet. I also am falling head over heels over the vocal pattern in the first few lines of the first verse. Again, happy vibes.
Which, is really funny because it seems like it’s one of those tracks that are happy musically but very dark lyrically. If these walls could talk, you’d be fucked, seemingly insinuating that the other person lies a lot. They’d tell us to break up. It’s a head bopper for sure, despite the darker lyrics.
I love the switch from a soft acoustic guitar to a more aggressive one during the bridge. The introduction of the more aggressive guitar makes the track a bit more melodramatic. Of course, you have the shaker here as well, coming out of the left channel. It’s very low in the mix but adds a bit of ear candy to this bridge.
I could totally see this song being played acoustically. It’s giving me those vibes.
Whatcha Doing
The start of this track reminds me of supernatural by Ariana Grande. The synth and string combination just kicks me back to that track.
There’s that funky bass again. The vocal pacing is interesting and different. She’s playing with singing both in the on and off beats.
I am in love with the harmonies during the pre-chorus. It’s very precise and sticks to the main vocal pitch quite closely.
The synth in the second verse is very interesting. I think the second verse overall goes back to what I said earlier about End of an Era. Dua is treading into new waters with a more experimental sound.
French Exit
The drum intro is sick. We don’t get many of those anymore. But I think that’s all I really like about this track if I’m being completely honest. This track is very underwhelming and feels almost uninspired. Nothing really jumped out at me.
I feel like a broken record but it’s true, I think this album is experimental. And as is the case with anyone trying to break new ground, not everything will come out great. French Exit, for me, is a swing and a miss.
Illusion
Now on to my favorite single of the three for the album. I have nothing but positive things to say. It’s everything I’ve come to love from Dua. A catchy beat with some ear candies and a strong vocal representation. It’s a song you can enjoy whether you’re dancing, singing, or analyzing the instrumentation.
Some of my favorite parts of the track include the low-pass filtered drum kit during the second verse and bridge. Also loved the Mmm, mmm during the pre-chorus. Those backing vocals are fantastic.
There’s also the keys solo right before the final outro. Again, this is a track you can listen to no matter the occasion. No notes.
Falling Forever
God, I love the long note at the beginning of this track. Really shows off her vocal chops there. The drum ramp up starting with just the kick and hi-hats, then adding a little bit of snare and clap is excellent as well.
Oh wow. It’s super rare to see a pop song start with its chorus and not a verse. I didn’t realize it until after the first verse. But that’s really cool. But again, with those long notes. I’m in love.
This track is a head bopper but in a very interesting way. It’s not a song I’d normally dance or sing to, but it has some serious rhythm. I guess, in a way, this is the literal definition of a headbopper.
I think after a few songs that I quite frankly wasn’t a huge fan of, this track is a breath of fresh air.
Of course, I’m a sucker for the high-pass filtered outro. Can’t get enough of those.
Anything For Love
The first thing of note—a short track. We love those.
Sounds like we’re getting a stripped back ballad. I’d wager the entire track was recorded in one go. It very much seems like Dua sat down at a piano and proceeded to play and sing at the same time.
Nope, I was wrong. Midway through the track, a funky bass line and a drum kit enters the chat.
Wow, that track came and went. I was enjoying it and its more experimental nature. The next thing I know, the track is over.
Maria
Can’t ever go wrong with record static to start off a track. That’s a pretty gnarly guitar riff as well. The quick harmonies midway through the first verse are great too. I love the layering there.
Oh wow, that synth bass is super funky. I wasn’t expecting that at all from a Dua Lipa track, yet here we are. Also, is that a recorder I hear? Not only is it a recorder, but we’re getting a recorder solo? Talk about unexpected.
In the second verse, there’s a second guitar being added. It comes out of the left channel and is relatively low in the mix. Nice ear candy. There’s another sound being added in the right channel. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it reminds me of Billie Eillish’s bad guy where she used a crosswalk button in place of a hi-hat.
Is there much to talk about when it comes to the bridge? Absolute perfection.
I’d hesitate to call this track a headbopper. But I will confidently say that it’s a fun track. It gives off good vibes and is a very fun listen.
Happy For You
The filtered drums that slowly starts to form throughout the first verse are excellent. The bass that comes in the first chorus is interesting. There’s not quite enough sub-bass for the rumble, but there’s also not a whole lot of mid-bass for the musicality. It’s an interesting choice as it gives it a more muted sound.
The thing that grabbed my attention right away is the very careful balance in terms of the production of this track. The vocals are only slightly louder than the drum kit. Yet, it’s enough to give a sense of separation where it sounds like the vocal sits above the drum kit.
I’m a sucker for solos, y’all should know that by now. That electric piano solo near the end of the track is killer.
I suppose it’s in the name. But just like Maria, this track doesn’t quite have that headbopper status, but it’s just a very fun track to listen to.
Conclusion
I like to enter albums without any expectations and usually those expectations are exceeded. Especially in the year 2024 where it feels like we’re getting a lot of new music and it’s banger after banger.
I think the best way I can categorize Radical Optimism is that it’s a mix of old and new. I won’t ever judge anyone for trying something new. I think some of her new sounds are interesting, it’s just not for me.
But I think starting the album off with End Of An Era both literal and metaphorical was a good idea. It sets the expectation that something new is on the horizon.
Radical Optimism to me is a transitional album. She’s been releasing a certain type of music for years and now she wants to switch things up without alienating her audience. In that way, this album makes a lot of sense.
NOTE: This reaction to Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism was completed after listening on Tidal with a Tidal Subscription with Max Enabled via Roon (24-bit, 44.1 kHz).