Track Review: Zara Larsson Shines With "Talk About Love"

The wait for Zara Larsson's third studio album, the follow-up to her blockbuster So Good, has been longer than expected. Nevertheless, the light at the end of the tunnel is drawing nearer. After releasing the terrific "Love Me Land" last year, Zara has unveiled her latest single, the equally great "Talk About Love."

In a starry-eyed duet with Young Thug, Zara implores her lover to talk about anything except for love. Where she reveled in newfound love on "Love Me Land," on this track, Zara is more concerned with basking in the purest moments of love without naming it. She croons "I just wanna keep us right here in the moment/Why you gotta go get lost in еmotion?" Produced by Mike Sabbath ("Hesitate," "Wasabi"), Zara's strong voice lifts over a plucky guitar-laced instrumental that shifts between sparse production in the verses and a choir of chants in the hook. Thugger and Zara have surprisingly great chemistry on this song. Even though the two artists don't interact outside of a few overlapping ad-libs in the second chorus, Thugger was a smart choice for this song because of his own history of emotionally vulnerable trap ballads. What's somewhat refreshing about "Talk About Love" is that it's a full song that treats every section with care. With more and more songs ignoring bridges and opting for the repetition of pre-choruses over second verses, it is nice to hear a song that treats its verses, pre-choruses, choruses, and bridge with proper respect. Another bright spot in "Talk About Love," is Zara's relatively restrained vocal performance; her hesitance to truly belt at the end of the song evokes her own precariousness when it comes to labeling the love that she is feeling.

"Talk About Love" offers a sunny juxtaposition to the darker production of "Love Me Land," and both songs are solid indicators that Poster Girl will be a much stronger record than So Good.

Score: 70