DISCO: Guest List Edition

After the cowboy boots and introspection of Golden, Kylie Minogue throws a glitterball into the centre of the room and commands us back to the dancefloor with Disco – a joyous, high-camp homage to the genre that’s always shimmered at the core of her pop DNA. Self-engineered in lockdown from her London home, this record isn’t just a return to form – it’s a glittering act of reinvention, resilience and release.

From the opening staccato sparkle of Magic, there’s no hesitation. Strings swirl, handclaps burst, and Kylie glides into her groove with more poise and polish than ever before. Disco isn’t chasing trends – it’s luxuriating in the sheer timelessness of dance music, filtered through Studio 54 sheen, French touch finesse and Kylie’s unmistakable brand of elegance.

Tracks like Miss a Thing and Real Groove shimmer with retro-futurism, their slick production recalling Light Years and Fever, but with a post-Daft Punk modernity that feels entirely 2020. Elsewhere, Say Something and Supernova burst with heart and cosmic grandeur, tapping into the album’s central thread: escape. Amid global lockdowns, Kylie crafted an album that yearns for togetherness, pulsing with unity and celebration even as the world stood still.

There’s cheek and camp too – Dance Floor Darling is pure musical theatre, building from finger snaps to a full-on Italo-disco explosion. And Last Chance twirls through a disco ABBA dream, evoking Donna Summer and Voulez-Vous with utter affection.

Minogue co-wrote every song, produced much of the record herself, and even learnt Logic Pro to complete it from home. That DIY spirit only adds to the charm: this is the work of an artist in full control, embracing the past while shaping her own sonic present.

The Guest List Edition adds some welcome cameos – notably A Second to Midnight with Years & Years and the joyous Kiss of Life with Jessie Ware – but the heart of the album remains intact: joyous, escapist pop with a glittering mirrorball core.

At a time when the world needed joy, Kylie delivered it in sequins. Disco may nod to the past, but its pulse is firmly set on the future – and on keeping us dancing, no matter what.