First, she deleted her entire Instagram feed. Next, she swapped her previous albums’ covers for enigmatic, kaleidoscopic new images on streaming services. Then, there was the all-important haircut reveal on Instagram (caption: “miss me?”). The signs were all pointing to one thing: Three years after 2020’s Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa was readying herself for her comeback. Now, the British pop superstar has unveiled “Houdini”. And after the euphoric, disco-indebted anthems of Future Nostalgia, it finds her exploring a new definition of that album’s now-meets-then concept. Expect shimmering ’80s synths, a chugging bassline, 303s recalling Daft Punk’s biggest hits and Lipa’s ice-cold vocals, as she paints herself as a modern-day escape artist: “Catch me or I go Houdini.” “‘Houdini’ embodies the energy of a good night out,” Lipa tells Apple Music. “This was the first track I wrote about that fun and freeing time of being single.” But alongside the song’s flirty lyricism, there’s also the empowerment that’s become central to all of Lipa’s music. “The lyrics are a bit cheeky, but there is a real underlying message of understanding yourself deeply and having no guilt about knowing your self-worth. Sometimes you just have to pull a Houdini and leave a situation that’s no longer serving you.” Arriving three years after Future Nostalgia confirmed Lipa’s place at pop’s top table—and after this summer’s inescapable “Dance the Night”—the track’s lyrics also hint that Lipa is more than aware that we’ve been waiting for her comeback. “I come and I go/Tell me all the ways you need me,” she sings. “I’m not here for long/Catch me or I go Houdini.”