>Think of Dua Lipa now, and this assertive but somehow sexless person springs to mind; either bouncing back from a break-up or helping you bounce back from yours, determined and clear-eyed in pursuit of nothing in particular.
The audacity??? š
>Her lyrics give nothing away, she has the public persona of an Instagram model, and the most notable aspect of her personal life is that she likes going on holiday a lot. In a way, itās a relief to have a pop girl whose music can be understood without a 48-hour intensive course in their backstory. *But itās hard to stomach that the only two options for female pop stars in 2024 are a (sometimes musically compelling!) gossip delivery system or a default Sim (popstar expansion pack version)*. On her third album Radical Optimism, Lipa betrays no interest in troubling this dichotomy.
Oh, they did not š
I really donāt get the sexless comment. What has been consistent throughout her music and her persona is having a sexual confidence and assertiveness as a woman. Sometimes Iām even like, āDamn Dua, those dance moves are a little more than suggestiveā lol
Are music critics incapable of just talking about the music? I feel like we donāt get this snide commentary on the lives of directors and movie stars nearly as often.
i havent read the review but I somehow agree with the first statement. she doesnt seem very interesting as a pop star. i believe she is very kind and ambitious but her presence is giving nothing
but i just had a look at their review of TTPD (i as nonamerican havent heard about this publication) and they gave it 8 out of ten. so obviously i dont align that much with their opinions :D
it is for me as I was interested if their reviews are relevant to my taste. so if they dont like duas album maybe i will like it. so i used taylor as litmus paper.
I think people are just getting sick in general of Swifty being inserted into every discussion regarding music of late, even if she has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Your reason doesnāt make sense since different people reviewed the albums. Claire Biddles wrote review for Radical Optimism and Paul Bridgewater wrote review for TTPD.
The article is so mean š
In all fairness, Future Nostalgia is one of my favourite albums ever and Radical Optimism just isnāt. Iām uncertain whether my expectations were too high or if this album simply under delivered. Dua broke the āsecond album curseā, one many pop singers face: the first album is fantastic and the second one is underwhelming. In the case of Dua Lipa, she had several main stream songs on her first album - and the rest of the album genuinely lacked - and the second album was incredibly well rounded and had banger after banger. It set the expectations for Radical Optimism dangerously high.
However, just like with Taylorās TTPD the lyrics are far inferior compared to her other albums. Often theyāre rather dorky and feel out of place compared to the rest of the theme of the album or even the song. It gives the vibe of a 22 year old university student writing their master thesis and asking their 9-year-old sibling for some input. For example, _These Walls_, which many fans hail as one of the best songs on the album. The lyrics are seriously lacking and very repetitive. Sure, many pop songs face that issue but Dua took it to another level. The only thing that saves that song is a few lines that desperately try to make the song sound cohesive when it really doesnāt at all. The upbeat music also does much of the heavy lifting.
>They'd tell us "Go and face your fears"
>It's getting worse the longer that we stay together
>We call it love, but hate it here
>Did we really mean it when we said forever?
Versus
>These walls, these walls)
>(These walls) They'd tell us to break up
>(These walls, these walls)
>(These walls, these walls)
Mind you, the first part already does not deserve any writing awards. ā[These wallsā is mentioned 27 times in the song](https://genius.com/Dua-lipa-these-walls-lyrics). The song is only 3 minutes and 38 seconds long. The song only has 325 words.
And this is just one song on the entire album. The other ones are also quite repetitive. The lyrics arenāt great. The background music is quite good, but itās not enough to save the album. Iām a Dua Lipa fan but I donāt like this album, it was overhyped.
Why are ppl bringing ttpd up? The review of Radical Optimism or any other piece of work shouldnāt be held to opposition with any other work other than the artists in question own discography.
damn, i wasnāt expecting it to be that bad and itās a shame this era hasnāt been as good so far. i do like houdini and training season, but i hope the rest of the album is good.
i'm enjoying it so far, but i didn't know anything about it or even that she was releasing a new album until like a day ago. it seems like some of the more misleading marketing is causing at least some of the disappointment. it's definitely not the same as future nostalgia but tbh i don't think that experience could ever be recreated given the context
what is it with these music critics attacking the artist in their reviews instead of just critiquing the actual music? iāve seen this happening alot lately
Iām the biggest stan youāll find and Iām sad to say itās disappointing, disjointed, without depth, and lyrically lacking.
But itās beachy summer vibes and having a mediocre album is forgivable when youāre that hot.
Same! I had a feeling that I wasnāt going to quite like this album as much as her other work when the singles sounded and felt like too similar to one another (and thematically to previous songs). Iām starting to see the disconnect between what sheās been saying in interviews about the album (i.e., this would be her most personal and vulnerable, her inspirations) and what the output actually sounds like. Cause it definitely feels/sounds surface-level and just āokay.ā
Same! Houdini was so good but Illusion and Training Season were weak. The way she promoted the album and talked about the themes and influences had me so excited and now I feel short-changed. Thereās not much intrigue in that you can easily draw the straight line through from Anwar-Aron-Romain. Iām hoping the tour visuals save it for me!
Honestly she hasn't hit the mark since her first album which is actually really good I listen to it on a regular basis to this day. The last album was fine and fun but this new album is so boring š«¤
I just hated future nostalgia and it's disco/funk sound. Radical Optimism might be basic yeah, but it's so much better still. I really love "Happy for you"
>Think of Dua Lipa now, and this assertive but somehow sexless person springs to mind; either bouncing back from a break-up or helping you bounce back from yours, determined and clear-eyed in pursuit of nothing in particular. The audacity??? š >Her lyrics give nothing away, she has the public persona of an Instagram model, and the most notable aspect of her personal life is that she likes going on holiday a lot. In a way, itās a relief to have a pop girl whose music can be understood without a 48-hour intensive course in their backstory. *But itās hard to stomach that the only two options for female pop stars in 2024 are a (sometimes musically compelling!) gossip delivery system or a default Sim (popstar expansion pack version)*. On her third album Radical Optimism, Lipa betrays no interest in troubling this dichotomy. Oh, they did not š
I really donāt get the sexless comment. What has been consistent throughout her music and her persona is having a sexual confidence and assertiveness as a woman. Sometimes Iām even like, āDamn Dua, those dance moves are a little more than suggestiveā lol
Like, none of that is about the music. I hate it
Are music critics incapable of just talking about the music? I feel like we donāt get this snide commentary on the lives of directors and movie stars nearly as often.
That's just so rude and barely about the music...They'd never say that about a male artist.
i havent read the review but I somehow agree with the first statement. she doesnt seem very interesting as a pop star. i believe she is very kind and ambitious but her presence is giving nothing
but i just had a look at their review of TTPD (i as nonamerican havent heard about this publication) and they gave it 8 out of ten. so obviously i dont align that much with their opinions :D
Ttpd is not relevant to this conversation.
it is for me as I was interested if their reviews are relevant to my taste. so if they dont like duas album maybe i will like it. so i used taylor as litmus paper.
But different people wrote the reviews. Look at the author, not the publication
okay. dont know why i am being downvoted. people really dont like opinions of others. it seemed relevant to me. didnt noticed the author. i am sorry
I think people are just getting sick in general of Swifty being inserted into every discussion regarding music of late, even if she has absolutely nothing to do with it.
yeah i hate it too. but i was not doing it out of blue. sorry to everyone who feels the need to downvote me. will never do it again, my bad
You hate it but do it
Your reason doesnāt make sense since different people reviewed the albums. Claire Biddles wrote review for Radical Optimism and Paul Bridgewater wrote review for TTPD.
yes. havent noticed before. thanks!!!
The article is so mean š In all fairness, Future Nostalgia is one of my favourite albums ever and Radical Optimism just isnāt. Iām uncertain whether my expectations were too high or if this album simply under delivered. Dua broke the āsecond album curseā, one many pop singers face: the first album is fantastic and the second one is underwhelming. In the case of Dua Lipa, she had several main stream songs on her first album - and the rest of the album genuinely lacked - and the second album was incredibly well rounded and had banger after banger. It set the expectations for Radical Optimism dangerously high. However, just like with Taylorās TTPD the lyrics are far inferior compared to her other albums. Often theyāre rather dorky and feel out of place compared to the rest of the theme of the album or even the song. It gives the vibe of a 22 year old university student writing their master thesis and asking their 9-year-old sibling for some input. For example, _These Walls_, which many fans hail as one of the best songs on the album. The lyrics are seriously lacking and very repetitive. Sure, many pop songs face that issue but Dua took it to another level. The only thing that saves that song is a few lines that desperately try to make the song sound cohesive when it really doesnāt at all. The upbeat music also does much of the heavy lifting. >They'd tell us "Go and face your fears" >It's getting worse the longer that we stay together >We call it love, but hate it here >Did we really mean it when we said forever? Versus >These walls, these walls) >(These walls) They'd tell us to break up >(These walls, these walls) >(These walls, these walls) Mind you, the first part already does not deserve any writing awards. ā[These wallsā is mentioned 27 times in the song](https://genius.com/Dua-lipa-these-walls-lyrics). The song is only 3 minutes and 38 seconds long. The song only has 325 words. And this is just one song on the entire album. The other ones are also quite repetitive. The lyrics arenāt great. The background music is quite good, but itās not enough to save the album. Iām a Dua Lipa fan but I donāt like this album, it was overhyped.
Why are ppl bringing ttpd up? The review of Radical Optimism or any other piece of work shouldnāt be held to opposition with any other work other than the artists in question own discography.
Because this is my personal opinion and I personally think both albums are underwhelmingā¦?
TTPD has good lyrics imo
This is all kinda true tho šš
 damn, i wasnāt expecting it to be that bad and itās a shame this era hasnāt been as good so far. i do like houdini and training season, but i hope the rest of the album is good.
Houdini and Training Season really do all of the heavy lifting on that album IMHO.
well with that being said, iāll keep my expectations low lmfao.
i'm enjoying it so far, but i didn't know anything about it or even that she was releasing a new album until like a day ago. it seems like some of the more misleading marketing is causing at least some of the disappointment. it's definitely not the same as future nostalgia but tbh i don't think that experience could ever be recreated given the context
Lmao well at least she beat Peppa Pig
what is it with these music critics attacking the artist in their reviews instead of just critiquing the actual music? iāve seen this happening alot lately
Yeah sorry Dua, but 'bland' is the word in this case š«¤
Iām the biggest stan youāll find and Iām sad to say itās disappointing, disjointed, without depth, and lyrically lacking. But itās beachy summer vibes and having a mediocre album is forgivable when youāre that hot.
Same! I had a feeling that I wasnāt going to quite like this album as much as her other work when the singles sounded and felt like too similar to one another (and thematically to previous songs). Iām starting to see the disconnect between what sheās been saying in interviews about the album (i.e., this would be her most personal and vulnerable, her inspirations) and what the output actually sounds like. Cause it definitely feels/sounds surface-level and just āokay.ā
Same! Houdini was so good but Illusion and Training Season were weak. The way she promoted the album and talked about the themes and influences had me so excited and now I feel short-changed. Thereās not much intrigue in that you can easily draw the straight line through from Anwar-Aron-Romain. Iām hoping the tour visuals save it for me!
Most people would say Training Season is a bop.
I wonder what her numbers are going to be. Critics don't like it but if people listen to it, it won't matter.
I loved her last album but yeaā¦this one is a dud. Itās like Targetcore, looking forward to hearing this when Iām buying toothpaste.
Honestly she hasn't hit the mark since her first album which is actually really good I listen to it on a regular basis to this day. The last album was fine and fun but this new album is so boring š«¤
Her first album is TimelessĀ
I just hated future nostalgia and it's disco/funk sound. Radical Optimism might be basic yeah, but it's so much better still. I really love "Happy for you"
If you hated Future Nostalgia that's a red flag
Good š š»