If skinny-dipping with your heart out and smoking skinny cigarettes sounds like a successful Tuesday night, Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun (2025) is the album for you.
“Beautiful, fly, hot, and sexy” are four of Larsson’s own words that fittingly describe her fifth studio album. While touring the world as an opener for Tate McRae, Larsson worked on the project with executive producer MNEK, drawing inspiration from memories of summer nights growing up in Scandinavia. “A part of my soul is a Swedish summer night,” Larsson told DORK.
A first listen to this album makes you question why in the hell she released a record full of synth-pop anthems at the turn of autumn. Larsson directly addresses this in the title track, “Midnight Sun,” cheekily repeating the mantra “summer isn’t over yet.” The release’s timing plays perfectly into the album’s spontaneous, carefree vibe. There’s no wrong time to party, and Larsson drives this view home throughout the entire album.
As always, Larsson’s vocals are supernaturally clear and controlled, cementing her as one of the most impressive vocalists of this generation. Relying on her pristine vocals and supported by characteristically intense production, Larsson pushes her sonic ambition from complex to utterly unrestrained. The background consists of unidentifiable sci-fi-esque noises, all building upon each other to create a cosmic, otherworldly sound. “Let’s get messy, like reaaallyy messy,” Larsson ad-libs on the track “Blue Moon,” including a studio sound bite in order to give listeners a feel for her approach to this project. And messy it is.
Aside from her hyper-layered production, Larsson also gets messy in regards to her vulnerability with the subject matter. The track “The Ambition” gives listeners a glimpse behind the celebratory façade of the project, as Larsson expresses her frustration with her incessant self-drive. “But that’s the thing with the ambition / Everything’s a competition,” Larsson belts. While I can’t imagine Larsson has ever fought tooth and nail to join a prestigious campus club, the relatability still stands. Over the course of her 17-year-long career, Larsson has traversed the distance from talent show winner to international superstar, and she admits on “The Ambition” that this had created a complex relationship with external validation. “Numbers meaning more than words / But what’s it worth?” Larsson questions.
A personal favorite of mine is the song “Girl’s Girl,” which explores the concept of female morality in the face of a tempting man. This track leans into trap and R&B elements without straying from Larsson’s signature pop sound. The ever-changing tempo of the track maintains the high energy from beginning to end. I imagine this kind of song playing as everyone does their makeup in preparation for a night out. The subject matter recounts a universal experience (I hope?) of questioning the ethics of one’s romantic adventures. “I wanna be a girl’s girl / But what happens when a girl’s girl wants the boy?” Larsson asks out loud. The track is deliciously messy and authentic to the experience of immoral infatuation.
The song “Eurosummer” lies at the heart of this album, as it depicts the Swedish summer experience that inspired the project. Sporting a mixed production with house and European folk layers, the song keeps a rhythmic pace that sways your hips. Ambient sounds of partygoers serve as the base layer throughout the track, conveying the ideal listening setting for this track. Thematically, the song focuses itself on the pure joy of young summer experiences without any strings attached. “Naked and never sober / This feels like Euro summer,” Larsson puts it simply.
The entire album feels like a pulsing DJ set at a Scandinavian synth-pop nightclub with roots in grounded wisdom. Larsson uses her signature hyper-pop medium to advocate for a party lifestyle while also incorporating deeper themes, like how to find self-confidence amidst a surplus of potential comparisons. Midnight Sun is a culmination of both the overwhelming and cathartic, and their combination results in a powerful, gratifying listening experience.
If you take one thing away from this album, Larsson suggests one message: “The summer night will be there for you. It’s waiting for you, it will come back for you, and you will come back for it.”
Voice’s Choices: “Girl’s Girl,” “Eurosummer,” “Midnight Sun”
