On May 3, English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa released her third studio album. Since Lipa is one of the most accomplished pop singers of recent time, winning seven Brit awards as well as three Grammys, this album accumulated plenty of buzz. The album had a strong reception, receiving a score of 73/100 from Metacritic, a relatively positive score when compared to other new releases. Reviewers from all over the world have given the album glowing reviews, such as The Independent UK and The LA Times.  The album does indeed deserve a score of 73/100, if not a higher score.

The album focuses on Lipa’s life story and is connected to her background. She received inspiration for this album through UK Rave as well as her hometown, London. According to Elizabeth Audrey from NME, the album taps into the pure joy and happiness of the world and emphasizes the milestones people make through chaos. This is true, because the album’s lead single “Houdini” embraces Lipa’s confidence and how she escaped the red flags and other hints of her previous partners.

The album is great, although it tends to follow the average pop norms. All of its songs are medium-length and have repeated chorus/lyrics. The only difference is that the beats have a meaning of their own. For example, the beat of “End of an Era” portrays an upbeat theme, emphasizing the themes of the lyrics, which revolve around happiness in relationships. In addition to that, it helps bolster the effect of the music by allowing listeners to imagine an aura of light surrounding us.

Although the album is one of the best this year, it can improve in a multitude of ways. By making the album lengthier, it would increase the engagement amongst listeners. In addition to making it longer, the album could be more unique by allowing Lipa’s story to resonate more. By increasing the volume of her vocals or by making the music more passive, Lipa’s voice would shine, making her message more dominant.

According to YouTube critic Anthony Fantano, the album is a “swing, and a slight miss.” He states that the album is basically just about breakups, ghosting others, as well as relationships as a whole. Although he does get the themes correct, these themes were what Lipa was going for. Her song “End of an Era” portrays the benefits and beginnings of love, as well as how it makes her feel. On the other hand, the song “Training Season” talks about love and the hardships of it. This is where Fantano argued that the negative parts of the album began. He states that this song just consists of every norm in the pop industry, while talking about a common theme, love. Although the album does have a couple of generic songs in it, it still deserves its score of a 73/100, if not higher. Perhaps Lipa’s next album will also lead to “Radical Optimism” within her fans.