Album Review: Charli XCX - Charli
It can be hard to tell whether Charli XCX embraces or despises the reputation and labels bestowed upon her by her devoted underground fanbase, including that she is, more than maybe any other artist, 'the pop star of the future'. For as often as she has in interviews seemed intent on following her own intuition after a string of ill-advised commercial records, her infatuation with the sounds of the PC Music label and her frequent collaborator A.G. Cook has dominated the production of her past few projects. The Pop 2 mixtape which dropped at the very end of 2017 sounded futuristic in the most banal way possible; a aberrant, electronic fever dream that captured a genuine magic one moment and veered hard into audible annoyance the next. Her newest album is no more a demonstration of 'the future of pop music' than Pop 2 was, but unfortunately neither is it a compelling progression of Charli's personal sound. Rather, Charli is merely the less adventurous twin of the aforementioned mixtape, not just instrumentally but in its lyrical content as well (save for the presence of a few slow, introspective cuts that unfortunately add very little). Those who have enjoyed Charli's recent work will likely find much to love here; those who have yet to be turned onto pop's most prolific innovator will no doubt remain unconvinced of her ability.
When the album does manage to deliver on its promise of enjoyable, forward-thinking pop, it can be difficult to parse exactly why: less vexing production, more powerful lyrical themes, an abundance of chemistry between Charli and her guests, or a combination of all three. The much-touted single Gone featuring Christine and the Queens opens on a throbbing bass line before slowly introducing a plethora of snappy percussion, as both singers contribute vulnerable confessions of their own anxieties which come together in an explosive, harmonic chorus: "Why do we keep when the water runs?/Why do we love if we're so mistaken?/Why do we leave when the chase is done?". Similarly bass-heavy, the next track Cross You Out finds Charli and reclusive, mystical chanteuse Sky Ferreira trade poetic admissions of their need to separate themselves from toxic people, with Charli intoning "Built a world all in my mind/All on my own, will I survive?" and Sky crooning out "Melt me down one piece at a time/I seal these eyes wide shut/I wasn't mesmerized, no". Rare is it, however, that Charli can produce something that sounds as complete as these two tracks from both a lyrical and instrumental perspective; as the album progresses, such moments become less and less frequent.
The similarities between Charli and her previous mixtape Pop 2 are so prevalent as to be laughable, and it must be assumed that the continuity between the two is entirely intended because otherwise this album would just read as unoriginal and pointless. The mixtape's emphatic closer Track 10 is re-envisioned as the notably duller and trendier Blame It On Your Love, which resembles a horrid EDM throwaway far more than it does the aberrant, experimental original; the notably subpar verse from rapper Lizzo is another addition that does the song no favours. Most egregious of all, Shake It is little more than a disturbingly blatant recreation of the mixtape's I Got It, as not only do both songs use the incessant repetition of their titles as a bastardized hook, but both feature guest verses from CupcakKe, Brooke Candy, and Pabllo Vittar. While none of their contributions add much to either song (Brooke Candy's verses on both tracks are virtually identical), Shake It does also feature New Orleans bounce legend Big Freedia, who is far from an accomplished lyricist but still raps circles around everyone else present (Pabllo Vittar does rap in Portugese, so one can only assume those verses are awful, as opposed to all the other verses, which are demonstrably terrible).
The comparisons continue to invite themselves: Click is simply a more generic, less daring rendition of Unlock It off of Pop 2, whose infectious yet pleasant hook and melodic verses are eschewed in favour of ungraceful autotune and materialistic, poorly-rapped arrogance. Kim Petras, who features on both tracks, has unfortunately lost any individuality she may have once had and has regressed to simply sounding like a Charli XCX doppelganger; her appearance on this album in particular is not unpleasant, just completely unnecessary. The biggest difference between the two records is in their structuring: Charli pads out its runtime with a middle section of more somber, introspective synth ballads. While songs like Thoughts, White Mercedes, and I Don't Wanna Know provide welcome chances for self-reflection and analysis of Charli's personal fears, none of the softer moments here feel compelling or polished enough to generate much interest. Despite its attempts at a more traditional arrangement as opposed to her mixtapes' controlled chaos, it merely feels as if Charli is going through the motions at times, feigning in the direction of a quiet contemplation or arrogant banger instead of taking the time to put together something that feels complete.
As impressive as her staggering reputation and immense network of connections are, the industry fame of Charli XCX often seems to be a double-edged sword. Her recent projects feel like conscious attempts to shoehorn in as many personal friends and ultramodern producers as she can, resulting in experiences that rarely feel polished as a consequence of needlessly abrasive instrumentals and superfluous guest verses. While this was somewhat forgivable on Pop 2, which at least committed wholeheartedly to its aesthetic of 'the future of pop music', on Charli the missteps simply become too numerous to overlook. Despite how many will appreciate the more honest look at Charli's feelings and insecurities, at a certain point any lyrical merit becomes overshadowed by a cavalcade of subpar cuts, and the few instances of success on the album represent fleeting glimpses of all the talent Charli has buried underneath her desire to keep being referred to in headlines as 'the pop star of the future.' This she very well may be, but in the present her music sadly leaves little to look forward to.
5/10
Favourite Tracks: Gone, Cross You Out, Official