LISA - Alter Ego (Album Review)

Photo: Wontae Go

LISA has perhaps always been someone who just needed the right push to become one of the world’s biggest stars. BLACKPINK’s 2016 formation put her on the path towards that level, but it was the chance for all four members to take time out and focus on their own music that’s given her the opportunity to drill down into what the next step might look like.

It’s safe to say, though, that as good as ‘Alter Ego’ sometimes is, it’s not a megastar-anointing statement. The record finds LISA adopting five personas — Roxi, Kiki, Speedi, Vixi and Sunni — in order to show her different sides and this construct is its first stumbling block. Each character’s songs are scattered throughout rather than gathered together in order to prioritise flow and, as a result, the album skips between ideas without ever properly focusing on them. 

There are also so many features here that LISA is often obscured or outshone on a literal rather than a conceptual level. Even then, there’s a wildly uneven spread in terms of each spot’s potency.

Megan Thee Stallion’s inclusion on Rapunzel elevates things enormously, but opener Born Again has both Doja Cat and Raye, powerhouse stars in their own right, on hand and yet neither feels properly served by the song. 

Similarly, Rosalía’s entrance on New Woman renders it uneven, her spot feeling like it’s been lifted from a different cut entirely. Fxck Up the World is brash and confident, but Future’s verse falls flat and undermines the bravado and a cutting trap beat. LISA’s own flow is solid enough, but she’s not quite given the leeway to develop a unique style. It’s a shame, as is a one-note reliance on the recurring theme of being flashy with her wealth. 

All this aside, ‘Alter Ego’ is still a lot of fun. It’s got plenty of hooks and some stellar production that makes it easy to like, from the nu-disco bounce of Born Again and Moonlit Floor to When I’m With You’s smooth R&B. It’s just not the definitive statement of personality and individual star power it wanted to be.

More Reviews from Will Marshall

Lights - A6

Scowl - Are We All Angels

Lady Gaga - Mayhem

Rebecca Black - Salvation

Saya Gray - SAYA

Ethel Cain - Perverts

Linkin Park - From Zero

Godspeeed You! Black Emperor - No Title As of 13 February 2024, 28,340 Dead

Foxing - Foxing

Beabadoobee - This Is How Tomorrow Moves

Eminem - The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grāce)

Aurora - What Happened To The Heart?

Related News

Fri 07 Feb 2025

BLACKPINK's Lisa Shares New Single Born Again Featuring Doja Cat And RAYE