Confetti

Entertaining but not over the top and bold but not self-serving, Confetti is their best work to date.

Confetti is more potent than 2018’s spread-betting LM5.

Its 13 tracks are a polished mix of flirtatious bops and high-octane tracks that celebrate self-worth, with the moving torch song “Breathe” serving as the album’s closer. Sure, there’s nothing groundbreaking to be found here, but it does prove that Little Mix do just fine when they’re relying on their own instincts.

Like always, Little Mix shine best when they are deep in their millennial sass. Never shy about breaking a fourth wall in the name of female empowerment.

Confetti is an album of brightly colored feel-good songs, meant to light your way to the dancefloor.

Confetti is a dependable album with recipe staples, but to keep future interest piqued, something new is now required in the mix.

Pick-n-mixing sounds and being savvy about who they work with has paid off beyond trying to maintain quality from track one to track 13. So take it for what it is: a collection of songs that happen to be next to each other, some of which are glorious (most of the singles) and some of which are a bit cringe (Gloves Up, A Mess).

The sound frequently feels like a box-ticking exercise in current pop trends: 80s-inspired, Boys of Summer synths on Break-Up Song; reggaeton beat on Sweet Melody; post-Daft Punk house on Holiday; gospel-ish piano balladry on My Love Won’t Let You Down; vocals cling-filmed in Auto-Tune throughout. It’s all very well done without ever quite reaching the heights of their best singles.