Sometime last year, I guarantee someone received bad news through a video of animated dolphins leaping from sparkling waters, soundtracked to Zara Larsson and Clean Bandit’s “Symphony.”
Maybe they had just gotten fired, maybe their grandmother died, who knows. But thanks to the good fortune of TikTok, Larsson reentered the public consciousness — fully leaning into the moment at a recent concert with visuals of jumping dolphins chasing rainbows and pink glitter.
Larsson’s hits always radiated joy, even as her stardom fizzled out. First appearing in an era of one-off popstars scoring mega hits in the tail end of the 2010s EDM craze — think Anne-Marie, MØ or pre-Brat Charli xcx — Larsson dazzled on tracks including “Never Forget You”and “Lush Life.”
While both tracks have more than a billion streams on Spotify, it’s tough to think of another time she felt relevant pre-“Symphony” fanaticism.
Midnight Sun‘s title track single is a victory lap to the renewed interest in “Symphony,” with kitschy summery visuals and another crystal clear high note to lose your breath singing to. Yet producer MNEK’s fizzy keys backed by sparkly trance-pop bass rejuvenate Larsson’s sound instead of shallow grasps at another hit.
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Evident in her viral performances on Tate McRae’s Miss Possessive World Tour, Larsson understands her strengths reside in nostalgic, lively dance tracks — a craving for that 2010s club vibe. In response, Midnight Sun feels dated in the best possible way.
“Summer isn’t over yet,” she declares and the album’s blend of house, funk and bubblegum bass elements are a fun callback to potentially better times.
What are the better times? Y2K? Its fingerprints are found all over the tracks, from the “Hollaback Girl” calls on the brash “Pretty Ugly” or the steady Timberland stutters on “Girl’s Girl.” On the latter, Larsson equips the Ariana Grande vocal layering template for a glossy chorus, showcasing her potential as a vocalist.
Potential follows Larsson everywhere. As an opener, videos of her singing lifted in the air or the dance break from her title track constantly appeared on my feed, racking up thousands of likes.
The people might enjoy the idea of her as a main pop girl, but halfway through the album, it becomes clear that the “better times” signal to 2017.
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On “Crush,” lazy vocals attempt to pull together Coachella influencer-esque synths and crashes, crafting a frigid copy of tropical house’s greatest hits. Even the final glitchy “crush” send-off is rushed, as if Larsson couldn’t wait to get off the song.
The next track, “Eurosummer,” attempts to make up for this in a rising chorus within garish trumpet funk. But it succeeds only in evoking the tackier side of the era, as I feel The Chainsmokers’ ghost creep up my spine.
A dominant vocalist in her own right, Larsson misses the opportunity to carve out her space among the triple threat singers. The run after “crush” mostly blurs together in a blaze of sunlit house, dismissing the need for a strong vocal presence.
The one hint to Larsson’s capabilities beyond summer playlist pop-aganda is in the rousing stadium anthem “Saturn’s Return.” Cathedral rich echoes back Larsson’s confession of ennui, a sad tale about herself aging in an industry she failed to top. This feeling doesn’t last; it’s not supposed to, before the album closes.
Midnight Sun rounds itself out as a fun album, but in the heightened need to trap summer in a bottle, it might lose the capacity to be timeless.
