Release Date: 23 January 2026
Song Count: 15
Duration: 44 minutes, 36 seconds
Rating: 8.5/10
Description:
(Note: Left out the country tag for this one, as it'd be otherwise quite incohesive to have Lebanon, France, the UK and the US all tagged in for one guy.)
Here's a brand new venture from a household name that surprisingly hasn't been talked about much (though perhaps that will come with time) - international star MIKA has returned to making zany pop music in English after a long while, with his seventh album Hyperlove releasing just about a week ago as of writing. The Beirut-born, Paris and London-raised icon is most known worldwide for his breakout hits back in the 2000's, most notably "Grace Kelly" and "Relax, Take It Easy", but has since gone on quite the series of quests in the world of music since, releasing music in both English and French that achieved come form of commercial success and appearing as hosts in various European singing contests, including variants of The Voice, X Factor Italia, and even Eurovision just a few years back. It is safe to say that the guy is a pretty big deal in the continent, and so I figured it was only fair to experience what he's been up to most recently through my own lens and spark some much-needed discussion about it.
The specific charm that MIKA's most well-known songs have brought to light, even almost two decades afterwards, has still been retained through all the way, and nowhere is that made clearer than with Hyperlove. The colourful production of the tracks making use of his voice as well as tools like the trusty piano, synths, and a whole assortment of other electronic sounds really keep the energy alive and give out the exact amount of eccentricity that only a performer like MIKA could pull off. It seems simultaneously vintage and modern, like a balance has been struck on in a bullseye to make the tracks sound truly timeless.
One aspect worthy of mention that may be overlooked by many is how well executed the actual lyrical themes of the album are; matching the true mesh of digital and acoustic sounds from the tracks' instrumentals, the lyrics tend to revolve around positive human emotions - joy, love, pain, confusion and euphoria - and their coexistence with an increasingly technical and digitalising outer world. Though it may come off as more abstractly alluded to in the album itself at times than anything else, when looking at the grander picture, it is reflected in the music as a whole immaculately, to the point where it almost feels like one is listening to these described experiences and feelings directly captured in aural form.
Particularly tracks such as "Modern Times", "All The Same", "Science Fiction Lover" and "Eleven" stand out as the most joyful of the bunch, though there is rarely any moments in general where the tight grip on things is in any way lost, resulting in an overall very consistently good package. Even the occasional interludes that consist of spoken word and more of an emphasis on the beats really match the mood and keep the zany groove going. Hyperlove is not only the return of prime MIKA that we never knew we needed until we witnessed it happen, but also marks a fresh chapter in the music career of the big man himself as he's daring more and more to put himself out there again, and for that, it deserves more recognition that I sincerely hope it gets soon.