Little Mix – LM5

Review

LM5 feels like Little Mix’s bold declaration that they’re done playing it safe—this is their feminist manifesto wrapped in pop. The album shimmers with genre-blending ambition: from the reggaeton-pop sway of “Woman Like Me” to the defiant trap-pop jab of “Joan of Arc,” plus power-ballad drama and body-positive anthems. The stripped-back opener, “The National Manthem,” lays vocals and sisterhood bare in a way that immediately says: “We’re calling the shots now.”

That said, its scattershot energy is part strength, part strain. Tracks like “Wasabi” and “Motivate” are slick bops, and “The Cure” shows the group at their most melodic and confident. But the album occasionally spins too many plates—jumping from toxic relationships to boleros to bold feminist statements—without always giving each idea the focus it deserves.

Ultimately, LM5 stands out as Little Mix’s most personally honest project. It might not be their most cohesive, but its heart is in the right place, and its ambition is hard to argue with. - Dani