Charli XCX — Charli: Two Years On
Charli XCX is one of the few genuine surprises to emerge from the ecosystem of mainstream pop. She broke out in the early 2010s, scoring hits with Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea. After the release of the briefly ubiquitous ‘Boom Clap,’ she was almost a household name. Charli’s future, though, was uncertain. What unique qualities did she bring to the musical landscape? What was to stop her from becoming a one (or two) hit wonder? The answer was a complete surprise. In years that followed, Charli XCX pulled off one the most striking reinventions of the last decade.
Championing London pop provocateurs PC Music, through collaborations with the trailblazing producer SOPHIE and label supremo A.G. Cook (who became her creative director), she produced a series of singular and revered projects. Industrial bop ‘Vroom Vroom’ failed to find a following upon release but has now taken its rightful place as an undisputed queer anthem. Pop 2 stands as one of the best distillations of captivating and boundary-pushing currents in 2010s pop. Perhaps unexpectedly, though, in this period of reinvention, from 2015 to 2018, Charli released a total of zero albums. Major releases were passed off as mixtapes to circumvent the stifling contract she was under. While these projects developed a strong cult following, none received the promotional and chart exposure that could potentially give the reinvented XCX the success she deserved. Thanks to uncertainty at Atlantic records, her promised third LP (dubbed XCX World) was delayed indefinitely and, after getting leaked online, (almost) all the songs were scrapped.
In light of this, when Charli and A.G. sat down to work on a third mixtape together, she was committed to releasing and promoting it as a proper album. The resulting self-titled LP Charli would showcase her artistic development in the intervening years and shoot for pop ubiquity with a host of honed singles. Unlike previous albums, it finally fully represented her authentic creative vision. Released to critical acclaim, Charli hasn’t exactly gone under the radar (producing at least one hit). However, two years on, we really need to reflect on just how great this album is. It feels criminal that the start of the mainstream 2020s was serenaded by (admittedly pretty good) retro regurgitations from Dua Lipa and the Weeknd, and not the futuristic sounds of Charli XCX.
The album begins with ‘Next Level Charli’ which gives us a first taste of the blissed-out metallic sheen that envelops so many of these songs. The tune builds anticipation with its linear, chorus-only build-up to an angelic climax whose atmospheres suddenly drop out to reveal the minimal, rubbery bassline of lead single ‘Gone’. That track channels feelings of anxiety into deconstructed, glitchy vocal chops, featuring a bravura performance from Christine and the Queens. Sky Ferreira equally excels bringing her expansive vocals into the huge, reverberant ‘Cross You Out,’ contrasting perfectly with its lumbering, squelching drum beat. The earworms are just as infectious on the album’s biggest hit ‘1999’ which goes in wholesale on the nostalgia but in an undeniably likeable manner (helped by an endearing bridge from Troye Sivan).
‘Click’ is an absolute monster of a song, showcasing a rhythmic hook in tension with the song’s pulse, and an almost-rapped vocal style that totally works. The production (provided by renowned gec Dylan Brady) oscillates from a huge bassline to gentle chimes and, at the last minute, a massive burst of distortion. Estonian rapper Tommy Cash’s feature is hilarious, and Kim Petras’ obnoxiously loud vocals add to the song’s swagger. Haim bring a more tasteful sensibility on ‘Warm,’ a more chilled-out joint. On ‘Thoughts’ though, we get one of Charli’s most striking vocal performances to date. Backed by a monolithic synth organ, reminiscent of the classic THX cinema ident, her digitally processed voice rings out. The lyrics portray crippling feelings of regret and self-doubt. Nevertheless, presented in this way, the song radiates an aura of almost religious euphoria. In one of the most gorgeously delivered lines, Charli sings: “I don’t wanna compromise.” And, with a track this powerful and singular, she most certainly is not.
The classics just keep on coming, with ‘Blame It On Your Love.’ Bizarrely, its first official release was in remixed form on Pop 2, as the beatless, avant-garde ‘Track 10’ (loved by the artist and her fans alike). What we hear on this album is the original version of the song — salvaged, on the suggestion of her label, from the scrapped XCX World sessions. It comes complete with school-playground claps and a slightly superfluous drop attached to the chorus. Lizzo’s verse is charismatic and fun but the “I ain’t tryna catch feelings” vibe feels totally at odds with the emotions the Charli is writing about. However, despite its window-dressing, ‘Blame it On Your Love’ is still a stand-out moment on the LP. The song is simply too well-written and performed not to be. Charli nails the elation and anxiety of a burgeoning relationship that, in her mind, seems too good to be true. The breathless, twitchy verses contrast subtly with the final, luxuriant syllable of the hook, where she seems, momentarily, to begin to hope rather than fear.
After a thumping, feature-packed first half comes a stretch of solo, introspective ballads. The first of these is ‘White Mercedes,’ a song directly addressed to Charli’s boyfriend Huck Kwong. The lyrics lay out her own perceived flaws within their relationship which, despite all odds, has held out. The chorus is a little theatrical for my liking but it’s hard to deny this is a heartfelt, well-crafted track. ‘Silver Cross’ is the underrated gem of the album, with its pitch-perfect, shifting, metallic production. Its off-kilter melodies portray a sense of yearning, that, through sheer force of will, gives way to euphoria.
‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ rolls back the production fireworks, allowing Charli’s voice to shine in the cavernous atmosphere. The vocal line, skirting over constantly unresolved harmonies, is achingly beautiful. Into this space comes the single-note riff of ‘Official’: a perfect example of, A.G. Cook’s pared-down MIDI genius, blossoming out into glistening arpeggios. It was A.G. who persuaded Charli to release this song — one she had, apparently, been convinced her fans would hate. While Charli is known for bringing the bangers, this tender (literally) kitchen-sink portrait of a burgeoning relationship is yet another testament to her skill as an emotional songwriter.
The album’s final leg contains some of its most singular tracks. ‘Shake It’ erupts out of granular blips into a syncopated, breathy groove upon which New-Orleans-bounce icon Big Freeida, studiously raunchy MC CupcakKe and Brazilian drag-queen Pabllo Vittar compete to spit the most outrageous bars. It’s an absolute riot and, with chemistry this good, you can see why this crew were reunited after they first worked together on Pop 2’s ‘I Got It’. The production is all-over-the-place: sometimes textural, sometimes spaced-out, others impossibly phat — all in the space of four minutes. ‘February 2017’ seems mellow by comparison, with the singer atoning for neglecting her relationship and vowing to do better. Then, a minute-and-a-half in, it bursts into the most ecstatic explosion of colour: as Charli repeats the refrain “Hope you can forgive the things I’ve done… Give me a sign” like a mantra of salvation. Clairo’s voice is somewhere in the background but it is Yaeji who shines on the outro, providing a moment of pure serene.
Closer ‘2099’ is the record’s victory lap, bringing back Troye Sivan for a contrasting — pointedly un-nostalgic — collab. It features some of the record’s most precise and avant-garde production, with the first thirty seconds consisting purely of harsh, synthetic sound-design that coalesces into juddering chords and overtones. With no warning, we are thrown into the song’s no-fucks-given hook. There are no verses here, only a gloopy breakdown, peppered with chimes. These are pop sounds but made thoroughly thrilling, alien and tactile. Then, just as the song builds, seemingly about to burst back into the chorus, comes a cinematic and vulnerable middle eight. There’s anxiety but it’s also heavenly. The piercing synth waves in the second chorus go on a vertiginous journey of their own. Just as we want to stay in this cocoon a little longer, the song snatches it away with a succession of movie-trailer drum stabs, crushing the track into sci-fi moans and burbles, then just a solitary tone. Like an answerphone message. With that, this gleaming, emotionally intense LP comes to an end.
Charli is a treasure trove. Every listen reveals new sounds and new highlights. There are moments on here that feel truly ground-breaking, all while remaining firmly coherent as pop music. Yet, it isn’t experimentalism alone that makes this album. These songs are, by turns, fun, cathartic and emotional, always well-written, always impeccably produced. Whether you’re partying or listening alone, this album hits. It’s strange then that the record can feel neglected by both casual listeners and Charli’s own fans. I think this comes from being one in a long line of great releases. Charli lives in the shadow of the creative breakthrough that was Pop 2 but doesn’t get enough credit for matching (at the very least) the stellar quality of that mixtape, while going somewhere new. In 2020, less than a year later, Charli released how i’m feeling now: the definitive lockdown album. These unique creative circumstances perhaps brought it more airtime. It’s a great album and its rawness is a strength. It doesn’t, though, approach the dizzying density of the self-titled LP.
While it is a modern classic and an absolute slapfest, it’s possibly true that Charli didn’t quite reach the mainstream heights her label might have hoped. Charli joked as much in her TikTok comment section when discussing her upcoming, self-consciously “pop-tastic” new album. If lead single ‘Good Ones’ is anything to go by, this pop makeover entails jumping on the 80s nostalgia trend that just seems so unable to die. The tune (channeling Eurythmics, or maybe Stranger Things?) is undoubtedly a solid bop. Along with ‘Out Out’ (a collab with Jax Jones and friends), it’s doing pretty well right now. But very little remains of the Charli we’ve seen grow in the last five years.
Maybe this doesn’t matter. Charli deserves all the success she can get. If that means donning Giorgio Moroder bass and Phil Collins snares then so be it. Her previous run of classics, Charli especially, speak for themselves and are ripe to be discovered by any new fans. Soon, of course, there’s the matter of her record contract coming to a close. A new era of independence and creative freedom lies ahead. Perhaps the heights reached on Charli are only the beginning. If we’ve learnt anything from her career thus far, it is that Charli XCX is a dab hand at reinvention.
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