Two years ago, Doja Cat essentially renounced her past pop hits and released Scarlet, an album of playful rap experiments. Scarlet was a generally successful enterprise that yielded a couple of huge hits, and now she’s back to making straight-up pop music. Today, Doja releases her new album Vie, a new album of sleek disco-funk grooves and loopy, euphoric hooks. This is a one-listen reaction, but Vie is really hitting this morning, especially after I suffered through the new Young Thug album.

In many ways, Vie works as a return to the sharp, bubbly dance-pop of Doja Cat’s 2021 smash Planet Her. Doja’s prime collaborator on that record was Dr. Luke, and Doja quickly vowed that she’d stop working with him. (She’s still signed to his Kemosabe imprint, though.) Doja recorded Vie with a team of producers that includes Jack Antonoff, Y2K, and Sounwave. The lush, synthy, disco-adjacent sounds recall Antonoff’s work on Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend, and I think that’s a good thing.

The early single “Jealous Type” is the blueprint here. Doja Cat does a lot of rapping on Vie, but it’s definitely not a rap album. Instead, it’s full of cinematic club sounds from the ’70s and ’80s. Doja is far from the first person to use a sample of the Knight Rider theme, but I was happy to hear that beat come in on “Aaahh Men!” The album is probably too long at 15 tracks, and some of the ballads in the second half lost me. The stunning closer “Come Back,” which reminds me of Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There,” won me right back. For the most part, this is some expertly crafted roller-rink music. Below, stream Vie and check out the Bardia Zeinali-directed video for new single “Gorgeous.”

Vie is out now on Kemosabe/RCA.