Dua Lipa—the pop goddess whose 2017 "New Rules" single became an anthem for the recently heartbroken—has dropped her newest album "Future Nostalgia" two weeks early. While the reason might simply be because the album was already leaking all over the internet, I like to think it was because this joyous, dance club-ready collection of bangers are exactly what's needed for our current COVID-19 malaise.

Bright and shiny as a disco ball, Lipa's newest contains the radio-friendly "Don't Start Now," in which she scolds her former lover who suddenly begins feigning interest after she declares her dance floor emancipation. In a similar vein, the title track "Future Nostalgia" thrums with energy and self-assured confidence, eliciting the same excitement I felt after hearing Lizzo's "Juice" for the first time. “No matter what you do, I’m gonna get it without ya/I know you ain’t used to a female alpha,” Lipa sings, driving home the ass-shaking thematic boldness that runs through the entirety of the album.

While most of these songs had me on my feet and moving, even while reading/enduring the never-ending stream of depressing coronavirus news, a special shoutout goes to Lipa's single "Hallucinate" which temporarily turned my dining room workspace into an all-out dance party. "I hallucinate when you call my name /Got stars in my eyes / And they don't fade when you come my way," she sings as the chorus builds to an irresistible hook that brings forth the best jams of '80s-era Kylie Minogue, Madonna, and Gwen Stefani. If that's your jam too, Future Nostalgia is a message from the past that ready to rescue you (at least temporarily) from your grim present.

STREAM AND LISTEN TO IT HERE!