Although he is perhaps best known for his debut album Life In Cartoon Motion, Mika’s entire discography is filled with the cleverly-crafted lyrics and slick production that made us fall in love with him back in 2007; his fourth album No Place In Heaven is no exception to this.
Much of the album deals with his sexuality. ‘Good Guys’, is a tribute to the queer heroes (such as Andy Warhol, Jean Cocteau and James Dean) that have influenced him. He questions where these ‘good guys’ are now and how he himself is ‘hoping one day I could be so bold’. Meanwhile, ‘All She Wants’ is a humorous take on having a mother who’s ideal life for her son would be to ‘get a trophy wife that’s respectable/ to avoid any spectacle’, and ‘Good Wife’ voices the pain of falling in love with a straight man.
The album is an absolute triumph, with the perfect balance of upbeat singalong tracks (‘Rio’ and ‘Talk About You’) and more heartfelt ballads (‘Hurts’ and ‘Last Party’), and if you’re looking for some different artists to listen to this Pride month I would wholeheartedly recommend Mika.
No Place in Heaven is out now via Republic and Casablanca. Listen to ‘Good Guys’ here:
