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Even if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere where the seasons are turning cold, Zara Larsson said it best: “Summer isn’t over yet.”
The Swede’s fiery fifth studio album, “Midnight Sun” is a pop princess’ dream. Full of effortless vocals, striking melodies, and utter energy, Larsson captures the euphoric feeling of a summer well-spent and bottles it up into 10 thrilling tracks. Just shy of 32 minutes long, “Midnight Sun” is Larsson at her best.
From the onset of the titular song, “Midnight Sun,” the bubbly synth beats place listeners right where they need to be. Undoubtedly, the track is sharp, meriting its spot as a single within this era of Larsson’s music. The cheeky lines “Skinny-dipping with your heart out, it’s my favorite part now / We ain’t gotta tell no one” hold a magnetic delivery that can’t help but energize listeners as the song progresses. With vocal flips galore in the repeated line “A never-ending midnight sun,” the song is well-crafted — an embodiment of summer-loving, joy, and youthfulness.
“Pretty Ugly” and “Crush,” the other two singles from the album, are just as sonically entertaining. The chorus and first verse of “Pretty Ugly” don’t aim to revolutionize songwriting, but this doesn’t negate the fact that the lyricism is lackluster. Fortunately, the second verse pulls its weight. With the stacking of distorted vocals and a snappy snare beat, the stronger lines “But I’m feelin’ like I wanna cause some trouble in the city tonight / Fuck the ladylike, more like crazy-like ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah” gives the song some edge. “Crush,” with its club beat and dazzling production, is a marvel on the album. The last of three singles, Larsson dishes out riffs, key changes, and perfectly-timed ad-libs. Due to where it sits on the tracklist, the production of “Crush” sustains an originality that Larsson takes full advantage of, showing off her vocal prowess. Thinking about the portrayed feeling of working up the courage of approaching a love interest, the bridge is wholly irresistible and charmingly relatable.
Flirty, freeing, and feverish, “Eurosummer” transports listeners right into a discotheque during a night out on the beach. Accompanied by Latin-inspired instrumentals and handclaps, Larsson gives an account of living out a European summer to the fullest, mixed in with a necessary spontaneity, as evident in lines “Show me something I won’t forget now / Got the euros in my hand / Got the time to spend.” The vocals — which come slightly in and out of the listening range with distortion from elevated production — are a fun addition to the party-oriented song. Generally, “Eurosummer” is a welcome departure from the typical tracks of the album.
“Blue Moon,” “Girl’s Girl,” and “Puss Puss” are other strong contenders on the album. In “Puss Puss,” the finale of the song, full of voicemail-esque production, is perfect to wrap up the album. The layering of vocals in each of these tracks adds to the dream-like state that is reflective of “Midnight Sun” as a whole; however, “Hot & Sexy” and “The Ambition” fall short in comparison to their counterparts. Both songs, while relatively cohesive, loom uninteresting in a project that is sonically demanding. For “Hot & Sexy,” despite the eccentric refrain and bridge, the issue lingers in the songwriting in the first half — it diverges too dramatically from the sharper writing and bolder production in the second half, preventing the song from successfully coming together. For “The Ambition,” the message of overcoming difficulties is powerful, yet the songwriting and overall tempo falls flat and prevents one from resonating with the lyrics as well as one could.
Importantly, “Midnight Sun” doesn’t just succeed with bouncy, dance-worthy tracks. “Saturn’s Return,” a slower-tempo song, showcases the album’s duality in a softer, more intimate space. Larsson becomes vulnerable, singing about the realities of life in the music industry, particularly highlighting a frustration with not achieving career goals within a time frame set by her teenage self. Larsson turns the song on its whim with the empowering lines, “And it feels so good to know I don’t know what I’m doing / And I love that I’m free in my naivety, I won’t lose it,” reminding both listeners and herself that the path to success is not linear. The song, while different from the rest, holds a significant weight — it displays a maturity that outlasts summer, and instead lingers for each season of life.
In an interview with Vogue, Larsson reminds readers of a metaphor she holds close: “The long winters of darkness and melancholy make you appreciate summers like nowhere else.” As she elaborates further, Larsson emphasizes that in life, you have to “make your own vibe.” With an album as definitive and dynamic as “Midnight Sun,” one can’t help but see how Larsson has evolved as an artist over the past decade, and assuredly, she is charting her own path to stardom.
—Staff writer Emily G. Fallas-Chacon can be reached at emily.fallas-chacon@thecrimson.com.
