As often as trends seem to come and go, the world’s obsession with the 80s only seems to grow stronger with time: there was a period when everything, from the biggest Netflix originals to your favourite pop stars, were cladding themselves in neon lights and retro synths, and it’s a style music fans across the globe continue to eat up to this day. Jessie Ware is one such artist riding this wave, stuffing 2020’s ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ and 2023’s ‘That! Feels Good!’ with a bucketload of disco beats and flamboyant touches. New record ‘Superbloom’ is further proof that 80s revivalism is here to stay.

Ware is nothing if not larger-than-life, and you can absolutely feel a sense of freedom all across her newest work: ‘The Garden Prelude’ seeks only to immerse you into the shimmering world of the album’s cover, and its use of atmospheric keys parts and distant vocal runs is but a taste of the out-and-out extravagance to come. ‘Superbloom’ runs wild with the vibrant personality of its star, exuding confidence, sexiness and showmanship at every turn— ‘I Could Get Used To This’ is firing on all cylinders, accenting its prominent bass grooves and loveable dance-pop writing with sleek string embellishments and a remarkable vocal performance from Ware herself. The singer is absolutely in her element here, throwing caution to the wind when she launches into faux-operatic belting on ‘No Consequences’— you can tell the woman delighted in putting these thirteen tracks together, and the album itself is thereby brimming with life. ‘Superbloom’ takes disco music and dials the eccentricity up to eleven, in a manner that feels almost inarguably charming.

It’s no surprise, then, to hear that Ware’s strengths come through best in the record’s most enthusiastic and energetic moments: we’re here to dance, and if it were up to us, the album wouldn’t let go of its saucy drum loops and catchy choruses for even a second. ‘Sauna’ sits right alongside ‘I Could Get Used To This’ as a clear-cut standout, combining classic synth textures with Ware’s penchant for the risqué in a truly intoxicating fashion— it’s far from the only instance of an infectious hook on the project, as the gorgeous title track and cheerful ABBA-worship of ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am?’ demonstrate, but it may just be the boldest on offer. Ware is clearly indebted to her influences, in a manner that might feel a little transparent to some. On a number like ‘Ride’ though, which is practically winking at Madonna’s ‘Hung Up,’ the singer manages to slip just enough of her own personality in there to make the song all her own. Honestly, what more praise can we heap onto the driving percussion of ‘Mr Valentine’ or the fitting closer ‘Mon Amour,’ save to say that these tracks will have you dancing in no time.

There are no duds in this tracklist, but that’s not the same thing as declaring that every song is a winner: just as Ware’s strengths lie in high-energy dance numbers, the softer moments that crop up in the back half of ‘Superbloom’ aren’t quite as thrilling as their peers. ‘Automatic’ is a cozy cut, but hardly one that’ll demand your attention like ‘Sauna’ will afterwards— the track is best remembered for its Avalanches-esque woodwind implementation (and to be fair, if you’re going to pay homage to classic dance music, that is the gold standard). At times, it’s hard to tell whether Ware is intentionally reining her wildest impulses in, or if parts of her newest album are just a little uninspired. In a tracklist dominated by electrifying hooks and dazzling arrangements, it’s difficult to imagine what kind of fan might gravitate towards the sleepy pace of ‘Love You For,’ or the indulgent balladry of ’16 Summers,’ neither of which show ‘Superbloom’ in its best light.

Jessie Ware is a star, truly and honestly: she has the following to prove it, but it’s really for the joyful wonder she evokes that such a statement can be made. ‘Superbloom’ isn’t quite as rock steady as we might’ve hoped, but its highs are consistently very high, delivering a number of thrilling disco tracks we’re already excited to return to. If dance pop is going to be this good going forward, we could get used to this.