A Different Kinda Tension

Dua Lipa “Pretty Please”

When I listen to Dua Lipa’s new record I think about how many people are out there are hanging on to this joyful, bass-heavy disco pop record as a lifeline in a very bleak time. I imagine all the people dancing to this album by themselves, fantasizing about dancing to the songs with other people at parties and clubs and live performances. Then I think about what it’s going to be like when people finally get that opportunity, and the way delayed gratification can heighten experiences. Imagining this catharsis feels sort of cathartic in and of itself, because it forces you to feel optimistic and look forward to something in the future rather than dreading it all.

“Pretty Please” is produced by Ian Kirkpatrick, who previously worked with Lipa on her smash hits “New Rules” and “Don’t Start Now,” plus career highlights by Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, and frequent co-writer Julia Michaels. Kirkpatrick and Michaels co-wrote this one with Lipa and Caroline Ailin, and it’s a perfect synthesis of their respective aesthetics – sleek, bass-forward, a brisk but vaguely nervous beat, and Michael’s distinctive style of lightly syncopated topline melody. As with Michaels and Kirkpatrick’s previous collaboration on Gomez’s brilliant 2016 single “Bad Liar,” the music sets up a horny/anxious tone that the lyrics follow through on. Lipa’s singing about her inability to play it cool with someone she’s started dating that she’s extremely into, and deciding “fuck it, may as well just be transparent.” The clever move here is that the song doesn’t quite land on that resolution – it starts its story in medias res, and keeps you fully in the moment of her epiphany.

Buy it from Amazon.