thepopcloud

[thepopcloud]

why did i literally predict it?

i can definitely see sabrina having a really big album rollout if she plays her cards right. releasing espresso just before performing at coachella was an extremely smart move from her and her team. so i really hope we get to see more smart decisions like that in the near future.

my advice would be to let espresso marinate more with the general public, maybe let it reach top 5 on the hot 100 or maybe even the number 1 spot. and when it starts to fall out of the top 10 spots (and i'm not talking about those weeks where a big artist releases an album and they occupy all the top spots e.g taylor with ttpd, maybe dua this week, and billie soon with her new album, weeks like these don't count), once they see espresso falling out of the top 10, that's when they should release a new single. cause we want to still have the public's attention when we're releasing our new single okay.

i can see the new single happening in early/mid june. and it should sound completely different from espresso, cause we don't want to bore the public, but it should still be upbeat and easily digestable and also have those playful lyrics that we've grown to love from her.

i don't think there's going to be a third single cause the album is probably going to be short (11 songs maybe), because my girl was busy with eics and the eras tours (but u never know). i can see the album dropping in august, cause her team would want for her to drop it while she still has the public's attention. and it should be accompanied by a single. and for this single we need something that says "I'm here to stay", like that moment when the public think they know exactly what they'll be getting from you, but then you surprise them with something even BETTER. that's the type of single we need.

for the bsides on the album, we need like 2 or 3 bops other than the singles that people would stream the album for, along with some slower tracks with the personal songwriting that we've seen on eics that the people can go back to. i would say take what worked on eics and just keep it up but also switch it up a little, give us something new, sth fresh, sth that would make us think "ooh girl we didn't know you could do this". the album needs to gag the locals. period.

so yeah that's how i can see sabrina playing the long game and truly cementing herself as the next pop girlie. because she's finally found a sound that works for her personally and that she's comfortable with, and at the same time fills a void that pop listeners have been feeling these past few years and makes them want to come back for more.

[thepopcloud]

Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism is a nice departure from her previous sound - A review

Disclaimer - Keep in mind that this review is extremely subjective and that I would not bother reviewing an album from an artist I did not like.

Dua Lipa's album opener End Of An Era sets the tone perfectly with the line "Another girl falls in love, another girl leaves the club." However, as the rest of the album indicates, this girl still has one foot inside the club and isn't ready to say goodbye. Rather than doing a full 180 (pun intended), Radical Optimism feels like a transitory album between Future Nostalgia and whatever will come next in the singer's discography. The album doesn't offer anything better than the hard-hitting Houdini and Training Season, which is unfortunate because Lipa and Parker's collaboration has not been exploited to its full potential.

However, that doesn't stop Dua from surprising her listeners with the standout B-side tracks Watcha Doing, a groovy pop song with funk and disco elements where she sings about how her sense of control is being challenged upon entering a new relationship; its sexy follow-up track and my personal favorite French Exit which shows Lipa leaving a relationship without properly breaking things off; and Maria where Dua shows appreciation for her partner's ex for making him a better lover. Illusion unfortunately still pales in comparison to the other singles and is joined by Falling Forever, where Lipa delivers Tarzan-esque belts in the chorus, as the weakest links of the album.

These Walls is a nice addition to the album, with captivating instrumentation and a really groovy chorus that invites you to vibe along with it, though I do not understand why it's being pushed to be the next single.

Anything For love starts off slow with Dua delivering beautiful vocals against a piano backdrop before it picks up the pace to earn a few approving head nods from you, only to be cut short at 2 minutes and 21 seconds. (How hard could it have been to write 4 lines for a bridge and then sing the chorus one more time?)

The album is closed by Happy For You which offers lyrics as positive and optimistic as the rest of the album but doesn't deliver anything exceptional sonically. It is one of those songs that you feel like you've heard a hundred times before, and only stands out with its packed production and great vocal delivery. The key to enjoying Radical Optimism is to stop judging it by how good it is compared to its predecessor but rather by how well it captures the sound it is trying to convey.

Final Verdict: 7/10.

Songs that will be on repeat: Houdini, Training Season, Watcha Doing, French Exit, Anything For love, Maria.

Songs that might climb up my charts: End of An Era, These Walls. Songs that I will unapologetically skip: Illusion, Falling Forever, Happy For you.

[thepopcloud]

i can definitely see sabrina having a really big album rollout if she plays her cards right. releasing espresso just before performing at coachella was an extremely smart move from her and her team. so i really hope we get to see more smart decisions like that in the near future.

my advice would be to let espresso marinate more with the general public, maybe let it reach top 5 on the hot 100 or maybe even the number 1 spot. and when it starts to fall out of the top 10 spots (and i'm not talking about those weeks where a big artist releases an album and they occupy all the top spots e.g taylor with ttpd, maybe dua this week, and billie soon with her new album, weeks like these don't count), once they see espresso falling out of the top 10, that's when they should release a new single. cause we want to still have the public's attention when we're releasing our new single okay.

i can see the new single happening in early/mid june. and it should sound completely different from espresso, cause we don't want to bore the public, but it should still be upbeat and easily digestable and also have those playful lyrics that we've grown to love from her.

i don't think there's going to be a third single cause the album is probably going to be short (11 songs maybe), because my girl was busy with eics and the eras tours (but u never know). i can see the album dropping in august, cause her team would want for her to drop it while she still has the public's attention. and it should be accompanied by a single. and for this single we need something that says "I'm here to stay", like that moment when the public think they know exactly what they'll be getting from you, but then you surprise them with something even BETTER. that's the type of single we need.

for the bsides on the album, we need like 2 or 3 bops other than the singles that people would stream the album for, along with some slower tracks with the personal songwriting that we've seen on eics that the people can go back to. i would say take what worked on eics and just keep it up but also switch it up a little, give us something new, sth fresh, sth that would make us think "ooh girl we didn't know you could do this". the album needs to gag the locals. period.

so yeah that's how i can see sabrina playing the long game and truly cementing herself as the next pop girlie. because she's finally found a sound that works for her personally and that she's comfortable with, and at the same time fills a void that pop listeners have been feeling these past few years and makes them want to come back for more.