Zara Larsson released her remix album “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip,” an upbeat, concert-ready version of her fifth album “Midnight Sun,” on Friday, May 1. Larsson brings on collaborators like English singer-songwriter PinkPantheress and Latin-pop artist Emilia to reimagine completely new versions of the original album’s 10 tracks. While the project occasionally succeeds with Larsson’s musical experimentation as she combines ethereal instrumentals with her iconic, girl-crush style, “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip” feels mostly like a disjointed attempt at producing festival hits, rather than cohesive tracks. Larsson’s attempt at breaking out of her repetitive pattern of girl-crush pop is respectable, but ultimately unstable.

While Larsson attempts to expand her musical strengths with genres like retro house and dreamy synthpop on “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip,” the album’s incohesiveness and disjointed musical direction showcase a flawed attempt at expanding her musical identity. Not all tracks are suited to her or her collaborators’ vocal tones, and some are clearly designed to be for energetic, upbeat dance performances, rather than jammable tracks. On “Girl’s Girl” with Emilia, an obnoxiously loud bass beat repeatedly plays in the background, as if setting the tone for a hyped-up mosh pit or dance-off — however, as listeners, it’s hard to appreciate Larsson’s vocal skills while simultaneously trying to drown out the instrumental. Other songs, like “Pretty Ugly” with JT and Margo XS, feel like they’re completely unrelated tracks spliced together. The jump from JT’s hardcore rap verse to Larsson and Margo XS’ more restrained chants feels disorienting, as if the artists are performing on completely different beats.

But when production actually complements Larsson and her collaborators, tracks become noticeably stronger and more appealing to listen to. “Crush” features a mellower, sweeter beat, which helps bring out Larsson’s sweetness and Eli’s deeper vocal flair. The song has an instrumental projection that complements its singers, rather than overpowering them. “Saturn’s Return” — an ethereal, introspective track on taking on change — features airy vocals from Larsson that blend seamlessly with the swirly synths and echoey vocals in the background. When “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip” attempts to match its artists, instead of pushing them far beyond the scope of their artistry, it becomes far more engaging to listen to. 

Despite overall inconsistent production, what Larsson does right on “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip” is her selection of collaborators on individual tracks. Most of the collaborators, like Tyla who was featured on “Hot & Sexy,” work well with Larsson’s vocals and blend well with her girl-crush aesthetic. Larsson’s slightly nasal style of singing is the yin to Tyla’s yang, whose sultrier vocal tone suits the energetic vibe of the song.  “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip”’s best vocal moments come through with Larsson and feature Eli’s restrained and emotional delivery on “Crush,” and the airy and resonant style of singing from Malibu and Helena Gao on “Saturn’s Return.” When Larsson leans into dreamy, softer pop tunes instead of maximalist, concert-ready EDM, the album becomes significantly stronger.

Even with the tracks that redeem the album’s production, Larsson’s struggles continue with the album’s meaningless, keyword salad lyricism. On the track “Eurosummer,” Larsson and Shakira repeatedly sing, “Every night’s an event / Kiss me, kiss me French / Show me something I won’t forget / Now, got the euros in my hand / Got the time to spend / Baby, let’s go all in” and “This feels like Eurosummer,” but fail to define what a “eurosummer” even is. Lack of definition continues with “Hot & Sexy.” For instance, “PUSSPUSS97 on the number plate” is repeated four times in a row on multiple occasions throughout the track, turning the intended motif into a case of excessively redundant and shallow lyricism. Lackluster songwriting that does more telling than showing detracts from the album’s impact in favor of a potential viral moment.

The concept of a “Girls Trip” album dedicated to featuring other female artists with themes of confidence, desire and ambition is cute in theory, even if the album’s overall execution is questionable. Larsson also chooses to feature different cultures and languages throughout, which is an effort that also deserves its flowers. Despite how much she sings the lyric, Larsson platforms Swedish culture through the inclusion of the phrase, “puss puss,” which is the Swedish term for “kisses.” Cosmic and airy song “Saturn’s Return” features collaborator Helena Gao singing in Chinese, and a symbolic passing-of-the-torch moment is seen through Larsson selecting Swedish artist Robyn as a feature on “Puss Puss.” “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip” is an intersectional “girls trip” that platforms culture and musicianship, going beyond simply featuring other female artists.

While “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip” is sonically confusing, Larsson deserves credit for trying to evolve stylistically as an artist following the popularity of the dolphin meme, even if execution is slightly inconsistent. Even with Larsson’s struggles in producing cohesive lyricism and a solid musical direction, “Midnight Sun: Girls Trip”’s empowering girl-crush style songs are nonetheless fun and festival-ready. However, let’s hope that Larsson’s next album takes us on a bit more of a “trip.”

RATING: 3/5