{"id":1922319,"date":"2026-05-06T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1922319"},"modified":"2026-05-06T08:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T05:00:11","slug":"zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-review-reinvigorated-pop-queen-drives-us-into-a-red-hot-eurosummer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1922319","title":{"rendered":"Zara Larsson \u2013 \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019 review: reinvigorated pop queen drives us into a red-hot Eurosummer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-credit-Charlotte-Rutherford.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-credit-Charlotte-Rutherford-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"zara larsson midnight sun girls trip review\" title=\"zara larsson midnight sun girls trip credit Charlotte Rutherford\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Zara Larsson. Credit: Charlotte Rutherford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Zara Larsson \u2013 \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019 review: reinvigorated pop queen drives us into a red-hot Eurosummer<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The Swedish popstar relishes her new lease on life amid cultural renaissance with undimmed effervescence on this shining deluxe album<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">4.5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Nick Levine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-05-06T09:00:11+01:00\">6th May 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><i>\u201cSaid by 20, I\u2019d be fillin\u2019 up stadiums,\u201d<\/i> Zara Larsson sings on \u2018Saturn\u2019s Return\u2019, a reflective gem from her fifth studio album, \u2018Midnight Sun\u2019. <i>\u201cDidn\u2019t happen, so I changed the deadline.\u201d<\/i> This appealing blend of pluck and vulnerability ripples through Larsson\u2019s dazzling dance-pop LP, which charted moderately in most territories when it dropped last September. Soon afterwards, though, the seasoned Swede began to gain cachet again after several years of semi-hits (2019\u2019s \u2018Don\u2019t Worry Bout Me\u2019, 2023\u2019s \u2018Can\u2019t Tame Her\u2019) and bops that should have been bigger (2019\u2019s \u2018All The Time\u2019, 2020\u2019s \u2018Love Me Land\u2019).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: On \u2018The Afterparty\u2019, Lykke Li is sticking two fingers up to traditional pop trajectories<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By December, with the album\u2019s euphoric title track picking up streaming heat and her decade-old banger \u2018Lush Life\u2019 back on the charts, Larsson felt confident enough to declare herself \u201cout of the Khia asylum\u201d. That she had the nous to reference pop stans\u2019 favourite shorthand for cultural irrelevance and general floppery only underlined the way she had levelled up. Larsson has always had principles \u2013 she turned down a Eurovision performance in 2024 due to Israel\u2019s involvement in the contest \u2013 but now her playful side was also coming across.<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nHaving been grafting since she was 10, when she won the Swedish talent show <i>Talang<\/i>, Larsson isn\u2019t about to rest on her laurels now. Instead, she\u2019s seeking to secure her revival with \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019, a deluxe edition featuring a fresh remix of every track from the original. Each has a feature from a different female artist or two, which allows Larsson to show off her great taste and sisterly credentials.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress - Midnight Sun (Girls Trip - Official Visualizer)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N1o-jptI974?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>This year, she turbo-charged her comeback by jumping on a remix of PinkPantheress\u2018 drum \u2018n\u2019 bass hit \u2018Stateside\u2019, so it feels fitting now that PinkPantheress sings on and co-produces a remix of \u2018Midnight Sun\u2019, which accentuates the original\u2019s breakbeats by adding a nostalgic sample from DJ Fresh\u2019s 2008 club classic \u2018Gold Dust\u2019. But not every remix here is quite as inventive, or necessarily an improvement. Despite the addition of a siren-like synth riff and a sprightly Shakira, the new \u2018Eurosummer\u2019 lacks the kinetic thrill of the original.<\/p>\n<p>However, most of the reimaginings on \u2018Girls Trip\u2019 are at least interesting. Tyla is suitably sultry on \u2018Hot &amp; Sexy\u2019, while Robyn adds ribald lines to \u2018Puss Puss\u2019: <i>\u201cI can get you off in a whole \u2018nother language.\u201d<\/i> Toronto-based DJ-producer Bambii helps to turn \u2018The Ambition\u2019, which now features vocals from Madison Beer, into an aromatic tropical house banger. And a swirling, six-minute version of \u2018Saturn\u2019s Return\u2019 featuring its co-writer, Danish-Chinese artist Helena Gao, has elegant echoes of \u2018Ray of Light\u2019-era Madonna.<\/p>\n<p>Coupled with the undimmed effervescence of the original album, \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019 is a journey worth taking. And for Larsson, the doors to the \u201cKhia asylum\u201d are rapidly fading from sight in the rear-view mirror.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-album-art.jpg\" alt=\"zara larsson midnight sun girls trip review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Sommer House \/ Epic<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> May 1, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Pop<\/li>\n<li>Zara Larsson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 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data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><i>\u201cSaid by 20, I\u2019d be fillin\u2019 up stadiums,\u201d<\/i> Zara Larsson sings on \u2018Saturn\u2019s Return\u2019, a reflective gem from her fifth studio album, \u2018Midnight Sun\u2019. <i>\u201cDidn\u2019t happen, so I changed the deadline.\u201d<\/i> This appealing blend of pluck and vulnerability ripples through Larsson\u2019s dazzling dance-pop LP, which charted moderately in most territories when it dropped last September. Soon afterwards, though, the seasoned Swede began to gain cachet again after several years of semi-hits (2019\u2019s \u2018Don\u2019t Worry Bout Me\u2019, 2023\u2019s \u2018Can\u2019t Tame Her\u2019) and bops that should have been bigger (2019\u2019s \u2018All The Time\u2019, 2020\u2019s \u2018Love Me Land\u2019).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: On \u2018The Afterparty\u2019, Lykke Li is sticking two fingers up to traditional pop trajectories<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By December, with the album\u2019s euphoric title track picking up streaming heat and her decade-old banger \u2018Lush Life\u2019 back on the charts, Larsson felt confident enough to declare herself \u201cout of the Khia asylum\u201d. That she had the nous to reference pop stans\u2019 favourite shorthand for cultural irrelevance and general floppery only underlined the way she had levelled up. Larsson has always had principles \u2013 she turned down a Eurovision performance in 2024 due to Israel\u2019s involvement in the contest \u2013 but now her playful side was also coming across.<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nHaving been grafting since she was 10, when she won the Swedish talent show <i>Talang<\/i>, Larsson isn\u2019t about to rest on her laurels now. Instead, she\u2019s seeking to secure her revival with \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019, a deluxe edition featuring a fresh remix of every track from the original. Each has a feature from a different female artist or two, which allows Larsson to show off her great taste and sisterly credentials.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress - Midnight Sun (Girls Trip - Official Visualizer)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N1o-jptI974?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>This year, she turbo-charged her comeback by jumping on a remix of PinkPantheress\u2018 drum \u2018n\u2019 bass hit \u2018Stateside\u2019, so it feels fitting now that PinkPantheress sings on and co-produces a remix of \u2018Midnight Sun\u2019, which accentuates the original\u2019s breakbeats by adding a nostalgic sample from DJ Fresh\u2019s 2008 club classic \u2018Gold Dust\u2019. But not every remix here is quite as inventive, or necessarily an improvement. Despite the addition of a siren-like synth riff and a sprightly Shakira, the new \u2018Eurosummer\u2019 lacks the kinetic thrill of the original.<\/p>\n<p>However, most of the reimaginings on \u2018Girls Trip\u2019 are at least interesting. Tyla is suitably sultry on \u2018Hot &amp; Sexy\u2019, while Robyn adds ribald lines to \u2018Puss Puss\u2019: <i>\u201cI can get you off in a whole \u2018nother language.\u201d<\/i> Toronto-based DJ-producer Bambii helps to turn \u2018The Ambition\u2019, which now features vocals from Madison Beer, into an aromatic tropical house banger. And a swirling, six-minute version of \u2018Saturn\u2019s Return\u2019 featuring its co-writer, Danish-Chinese artist Helena Gao, has elegant echoes of \u2018Ray of Light\u2019-era Madonna.<\/p>\n<p>Coupled with the undimmed effervescence of the original album, \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019 is a journey worth taking. And for Larsson, the doors to the \u201cKhia asylum\u201d are rapidly fading from sight in the rear-view mirror.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-album-art.jpg\" alt=\"zara larsson midnight sun girls trip review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Sommer House \/ Epic<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> May 1, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-review-3944210&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/zara-larsson-midnight-sun-girls-trip-credit-Charlotte-Rutherford.jpg&#8221;] Zara Larsson. Credit: Charlotte Rutherford ReviewsAlbum Reviews Zara Larsson \u2013 \u2018Midnight Sun: Girls Trip\u2019 review: reinvigorated pop queen drives us into a red-hot Eurosummer The Swedish popstar relishes her new lease on life amid cultural renaissance with undimmed effervescence on this shining deluxe album 4.5 By Nick Levine 6th May 2026 \u201cSaid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-1922319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1922319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1922319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1922319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1922319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}