REVIEW #1: 80/100

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Dua Lipa has had a few false starts in her career but she’s finally, well true and actually, made her big debut. The long gestating EP came as an evolution of the project she’d initially set out to make. When that original project was ultimately left in the past, it seems she’s plowed forward with a new aesthetic and a new direction. This five track EP finds Dua focused and following consistent lyrical themes, all tied together with a ribbon of near perfect pop. 

 

The project opens with it’s lead single, the Harry Styles featuring “Counting on You”. Helmed production wise by S.G. Lewis, a young British artist, and Stuart Price, a man known for his infectious and bold throwback style productions. Their skill at the production desk is undeniable, offering one of the most purely thrilling throwback soundscapes we’ve heard through all of the wave of throwback inspired releases. The world that the song inhabits within the production is expansive. The song sounds as massive as it feels. Dua and Harry’s songwriting chops are right there in step with the production. They tell a rather simple yet sensual and electrically charged story here, playing exceptionally well off each other as they trade verses and share choruses. It’s an absolute marvel of a track and it’s clear why it acted as the project’s lead. “That’s When You’ll Know” is a more downtempo offering, playing a completely different side of the coin than the opener. The song is gentle and it’s not hard to get lost inside Lews and new addition James Ford. It’s a dreamy soundscape that carries a genuinely beautiful melody. Dua’s on the track on her own and she mostly holds her own. However, there are parts of the lyrics that aren’t as finely polished as the opener. They’re far fom poor, but they are quite familiar, ticking some of the breakup song boxes in places. But that still doesn’t detract from their overall effectiveness and the effectiveness of the song as a whole. 

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“Close to Magic” finds a sort of happy medium between the opener and the second track in terms of it’s mood. It flirts with the same sexually charged energy of the opener while also injecting some of the pathos of “That’s When You’ll Know”. It’s a blend that works well, providing a song that ties together lust and butterflies of romance all together into a neat package. Lewis and Woods handle the production with the same grace and Dua’s lyrics again continue to be effective. It’s a beautiful song, without question. “4 AM Express” comes in the running as the weakest track on the project. The production work is once more handled by the two men who've been managing the previous few tracks, but this track is a bit of a different animal. The production work is solid, but it doesn’t seem to particularly go anywhere. It shows off the synths well, but things sort of move in a circle musically. Lyrically the song is once more pretty solid, albeit with a few underpolished lines (mostly in the opening verse). It’s not a song that falls into the category of skippable, but it’s also not sitting on par with the project’s peaks. The project closes on an unexpected addition: a disco mix of Dua’s single “Strangers Again”, a song that belonged to the original project, albeit in another version. The lyrics are just as much fun as they were the first time around (the phone answerming machine bit is still a hell of a good time) but the production change does manage to make the song feel different. And it works! The song benefits from this lively new arrangement which was handled well by Lewis and new addition Andrew Watt Grades. A fun time and a great choice to close the project out on. 

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“Late to the Party” is quite consistent in it’s aims, strengths, and weaknesses. With everything feeling connected by the sound of a tape being replaced, giving the project the perfect throwback atmosphere to match it’s throwback sound, and the brief tracklist, there’s not much room here for serious errors to slip through the cracks. The project is a great little piece of escapism for the nineteen or so minutes that it runs, but it must be stated that, as of yet, there’s not anything wholly unique about it. Dua’s certainly got the potential and she demonstrates what she may yet be capable of. For now, she fits nicely into the landscape of new artists and she does leave us excited for more.

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REVIEW #2: 66/100

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New to the scene, Dua Lipa has exploded out of the door with the release of her top 5 debuting lead single ‘Counting on You’ featuring Harry Style. Following her debut single ‘Strangers Again’, the scrapped lead single of what was to be her debut album, the singer has dropped an EP titled ‘Late To The Party’z Carrying the same disco-infused, synth-driven dance style throughout the record, Lipa taps into listeners’ nostalgia for the vapor-wave music of the 1970s and 80s. Written with help from label mate Florence Welch, collaborator Harry Styles, and other acclaimed names like Stuart Price, it is without a doubt that Dua has worked tirelessly on the new EP. And the effort shines through the high quality music and seemingly effortless, flowing lyrics.

 

The record starts with the lead singles, ‘Counting on You’ featuring Harry Styles, to kick off the album with a bang. Opening with a fresh, forward-moving beat, elevated by the infectious synths and uptempo melody, ‘Counting on You’ starts the EP on a high note. Accompanying the stellar production comes the wordy, yet descriptive lyrics. Helping listeners to visualize the experiences Dua and Harry are describing, ‘Counting on You’ becomes tiresome and overloading at points. While well executed and certainly not leaving any room for gaps, the track goes a bit overboard where it could have invoked catchy hooks or relied on dance breakdowns in the beat. 

 

Righting some of the wrongs of its predecessor, ‘That’s When You’ll Know’ redirects its focus on being a catchy pop tune, accomplishing that with its memorable and easy-to-learn chorus. Unfortunately, however, the track leans heavily into the slower, more midtempo side of 80s vaporwave, becoming a bit uninspired at times. While a far more concise and entertaining track from a lyrical standpoint, the production fails to carry the energy that uplifted ‘Counting on You’.

 

Finally getting it right, ‘Close to Magic’ delivers a standout moment for the EP. Assisted by the genius of Florence Welch’s songwriting, the track delivers a ongoing lyrical flow that the record previously had het to achieve. Drawing back on the empowering synths of ‘Counting on You’c while taking a more direct stab at storytelling, ‘Close to Magic’ is arguably a peak for the singer on the throwback project. Playful and fun, the instrumentation brings listeners into the club, as Lipa shares how starstruck by love she has become. Rather than attempting to be experimental or distinct, Dua goes straight for the radio-friendly, single worthy material with ‘Close to Magic’. And I would say it gets the job done. 

 

Diverging a bit from the rest of the record, the amplified bass of ‘4AM Express’ makes the song distinct and undeniably unique. Unfortunately though, ‘4AM Express’ dives back into the heavy story-focus of ‘Counting on You’ in an even heavier way. While a commendable effort for its attempt at being picturesque, the song overloads listeners with details, as if it is an audio description of a music video. Rather than painting a picture while carrying the song, Lipa jumps into somewhat cliche terminology to describe the club scene, and seemingly without much purpose. To me, ‘4AM Express’ is a low point on the extended play.

 

Perfecting the art of disco to close the record comes a surprise, a remix of her debut single ‘Strangers Again’. Addictive with its guitar-infused classic 70s disco-pop beat, the “Disco Mix” describes the awkwardness of romantic ghosting. Unlike the other tracks in the EP, ‘Stranger Again’ has a clear message, and a somewhat original one too.

 

‘Late To The Party’, while electrifying in its production and flow, fails to make a distinct purpose. The songs feel meaningless and lacks the depth or sincere emotional. With that being said, the EP makes for a high quality debut project and is certainly going to solidify Dua Lipa’s place in the industry as an up-and-comer. 

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REVIEW #3: 79/100

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Dua Lipa is perhaps one of the most interesting new artists in pop today. Beginning her career with Strangers Again and an expected EP titled Meet Me In July due for, well, July, her plans came to a bit of a halt. That was until the release of Harry Styles accompanied Counting On You, and now the release of her new EP Late To The Party. Embarking on a supporting club tour, Lipa’s influences for this album are clearly set in disco/club realms.

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The project starts off with the hit single and surprise collaboration with Harry Styles, Counting On You. The whole track is 3 minutes of expertly crafted disco-pop, with catchy and well formed lyrics full of personality including a counting structure in the chorus that works incredibly well. It’s near flawless! It would’ve been nice to see something more interesting done between the chorus and the bridge, but other than that the track is a perfect disco anthem. That’s When You’ll Know comes up next and feels much more subdued but still keeping with the sound of the project so far. The track definitely doesn’t pack a punch in the same way that Counting On You does. There’s nothing particularly bad about it, it’s still solid, but it just doesn’t have the same magic that the previous track did in it’s lyrics especially which feel a bit more basic in comparison.

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Speaking of magic! We move onto Close To Magic as the next track, which picks off right where Counting On You left off. It carries on this slick, groovy feeling that the previous track failed to pick up on in a completely irresistible way. The song is a massive step up lyrically too, the whole track comes together to create this euphoric feeling that makes it an instant highlight. Now 4AM Express… this is a track. This is a phenomenal track. Absolutely without a doubt the highlight of the project. Lyrically, the song clearly draws from nightlife culture and creates a simplistic yet stunning narrative throughout the song in a breathtaking way (although i’m not 100% sold on the la la la’s) while the production takes on an atmospheric journey like feel.  Seriously, this is an absolutely flawless track.

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Ending the project with Strangers Again (Disco Mix), I can’t say i’m as sold on this one as the rest. It’s really solid, don’t get me wrong! The production is immaculate as always, but it just doesn’t hold up as well as some of the other tracks for me. The automated voice effect was a genius implementation on the original track, but I don’t think it works as well here. Either way, it’s still an absolute bop and any Strangers Again fan now has two versions to enjoy!

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For a first project, Dua really forms a strong consistent theme and that deserves major props. There’s really nothing on this EP that falls completely flat or doesn’t live up to standards. That said though, there are definitely some clear highlights and some tracks that don’t really add anything which becomes increasingly noticeable in such a small project. But with songs like Counting On You and 4AM Express, Dua’s potential absolutely shines incredibly bright in a sound that few have truly perfected. Whenever her first full length project comes, you can bet it’s going to impress.