CULTURE

Dua Lipa Has The Best-Reviewed Album of 2020 So Far

The critics love her.

March 30, 2020

If dancing at home to Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia is keeping you sane right now, you’re certainly not alone. Surprisingly, the critics aren’t going to shame you for it, either. The British pop star‘s second album is now officially the best reviewed album of 2020 so far.

According to review aggregator MetaCritic’s list of album scores for 2020, Future Nostalgia has now slightly edged out indie folk act Waxahatchee’s Saint Cloud for the honor. Over on AlbumOfTheYear.org, a review aggregator dedicated solely to music, Nostalgia is currently sitting in second place for 2020 so far, only behind dream pop group Lanterns on the Lake’s Spook The Herd, by their measures.

At a time when critics can’t help but bomb pop albums for sport, it’s a huge achievement for Lipa. Pop purists have led the way, putting Future Nostalgia in the same vein as pop touchstones like Kylie Minogue’s best work, Madonna‘s Confessions on a Dance Floor era, and the best of British girl group Girls Aloud. Clearly, Lipa has shaken off both the sophomore slump and the curse of Best New Artist Grammy winners.

“Honestly, there isn’t a duff track on here,” wrote The Independent. “Every beat is elastic, every note and sample bold and shiny. Future Nostalgia is 37 minutes of pure sonic spandex.”

“Lipa quickly established herself as one of pop’s most compelling presences during her quick rise, and Future Nostalgia shows that she’s going to be sticking around its upper echelons for a while,” wrote Entertainment Weekly.

“Dua will be going down in pop history as one of the best,” wrote DIY.

Much was made of Pitchfork’s decision to stamp the album with a 7.8 rating, putting it just out of range of their vaunted “Best New Music” signifier, but even they had nice to things (keep in mind, Pitchfork were the ones to memorably refer to a Liam Payne album as “Zara fitting room” music). They called it, “a collection of sophisticated, hard-bodied pop-funk that gradually gives way to slick, Kylie Minogue-inspired disco.”

There’s (for better or worse) a lot of 2020 left, but so far, Lipa is the only radio-friendly artist this year to rack up such stellar reviews (with perhaps only Bad Bunny and The Weeknd as her competition). Could this mean Grammys glory come next February? Who knows—but for now, rest assured your bedroom dance parties to “Don’t Start Now” are critic approved.