Charli XCX. A name I've heard many times, and whose songs I had inadvertently heard, but a name that I never really knew until May of this year. You may remember that I recently collaborated with Anthony Fantano of the needle drop on a review of the debut record from Kitten. During the review, he name dropped Charli a couple of times which peaked my curiosity.
Charli is an interesting musician, simply for the fact that her personality actually seems to bleed through in her music, unlike so many pop stars that feel as if they're making music that relates to a very broad audience. She's got a little bit of a mouth on her, and often comes off very sarcastic and snappy with her lyrics and vocal presentation. She has just enough charisma and spunk to pull of this whole glam 80's throwback style she seems to be going for with the majority of her album.
"You" (Ha Ha Ha) really caught my attention for the aforementioned reason, along with it's glitchy and poppy yet unbelievably catchy production style, with biting lyrics and a chorus to remember.
I think a lot of what stands out to me about this young singer is her versatility as an artist. There are numerous musical styles tackled on True Romance, and she's easily able to shift her vocal style track to track without feeling disconnected from the music.
There's plenty of self depreciating moments on the record, that really dig at personal problems the singer has encountered growing up, and making the transition into the spotlight. The moments where Charli slows things down on tracks like "How Can I" and simply opens up about what she's feeling doesn't feel cheap or unnecessary like I would argue with some artists, but rather shows a more vulnerable side of the singer.
"You're The One" is a standout single for me, mainly because it doesn't do what I at first expected it to. It's almost some sort of a retaliation, as if she's fighting off love in the verses, but then accepting it within the chorus. The stylistic shift from verse to chorus is also noticeable and praiseworthy, reminding me of fellow pop star Sky Ferreria in all of the best ways.
Charli XCX is making some great pop music in an age where mediocre is pretty much the standard. I'm really enjoying this record for the most part, minus a few stale cuts that feel silly and skippable. Check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments! I realize it's been out for awhile now and we're on the brink of another new album from the UK singer but hey... better late than never.
Thanks for reading everyone, this is serving as the relaunch to my blog. I will occasionally do text reviews for albums that I've accidentally passed up, or maybe even a track review here and there. Basically stuff that I don't get a chance to do in video form. Keep in mind the text reviews will normally be relatively short.
4/5
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Key tracks: You (Ha Ha Ha), Nuclear Seasons, You're The One, How Can I, Cloud Aura.
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