Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now Review
The record is full of catchy pop bangers but has a real emotional depth to the theme.
Charli XCX is an artist I feel a younger-me would have turned my nose up to but, since her last album ‘Charli’, it’s hard not to give this artist the credit she truly deserves. Charli XCX’s brand and vision as an artist is incredibly forward thinking, working with the most cutting edge producers and creating some really progressive soundscapes. This album sees Charli in a more intimate light. Since lockdown Charli has gone to her fans for support in asking them to help her in almost every step and decision when it came to her new album. This is one of the first major artists releases to be written recorded and released under lockdown and it’s definitely one of the most interesting.
The album blasts open with the ferocious ‘Pink Diamond’. On this track you can feel Charli’s anger lyrically, aggressively chanting ‘I just want to go real hard’ you can definitely get a sense that Charli is feeling trapped. The way the instrumentals get increasingly intense as the track progresses is a really interesting metaphor for quarantine. Lyrically Charli compares herself to a beautiful pink diamond that has been hidden from the world.
‘forever’ was the first single off this record. I was really impressed with this track, with its lush sugary vocal melodies juxtaposed against noisy sweeping synths. There’s a real warmth to this track, which finds enhancement through the lyrics. ’I know in the future, we will see each other’ — you can get a sense of Charli’s message being about love and caring about those closest to you. The track ends its wholesome runtime with a beautiful little vocal fugue.
‘claws’ the second single from this album is another real hit on this record. A.G. Cook’s production on this one really stands out over Charli’s saccharine synthesised vocals. The track explodes with wonky synths and pitch shifted vocal samples before Charli blasts through with catchy pop hooks. The song crescendos into arpeggiated sequences before glitching out in true Charli XCX fashion. Lyrically, Charli also writes ‘'Cause I know when I know I don't wanna be alone’ which could be perceived as a dig at quarantine. This single proves you don’t need loads of access to create incredible music at home.
‘7 years’ makes use of Sophie-style percussive elements under Charli’s future pop vocal deliveries. ‘Detonate’ is a really pretty track. This track reminds me of ‘Unlock It’ from Charli XCX’s 2017 release ‘Pop 2’. Its beautiful rattling piano movements really create such a blissful soundscape. The track ends similarly to other tracks on this record in the sense that it shatters into crazy sampled vocal harmonies. ‘Enemy’ almost sounds like it could be on a soundtrack. The chord progression evokes something you would expect to hear at the end of an epic movie. The chorus delivers on this wish by detonating you to a futuristic place.
‘I finally understand’ reminds me of the pop sounds of the 90s. There’s definitely a really fun element to the chorus that makes you really nostalgic for a time when pop music was a little less pretentious. ‘c2.0’ is definitely the song I didn’t know I needed. Mostly reworking the production from track ‘Click’ on Charli’s last record. This sees quite an interesting and lengthy intro totally devolve and yet miraculously come together when the bass kicks in at 1:30. Charli starts singing over the manipulated vocals loops screaming how much she misses her people, stating ‘I miss them every night, I miss them by my side’. ‘party for you’ is definitely a sombre track; you can really feel the emotional hardships Charli is facing through her lyrics. Almost seeming like she’s only doing this for us but obviously she is doing this for herself to stay content and sane — but maybe that’s what this track is trying to address. The harmonies on the synths towards the end of this track are transcendent, curating a deeply emotive vibe.
‘anthems’ is the definite banger of the record. I can really hear an influence from the dance track ‘Where’s your head at’; or at least it has a very similar descending chord progression. Lyrically, Charli XCX seems less defeatist on this track, literally screaming what she ‘wants’, sounding as though she’s been driven truly crazy by the conditions of quarantine. ‘visions’ is the last track on the record and here Charli fantasises about images on her mind that she sees clearly but they are those which remain out of reach. This is a track contemplative more than others and very much closes the album with a poignant tone.
For an album that was written and recorded in just under six weeks, it’s hard to fault. Where other artists are pushing back albums, you see Charli providing for her fans more than ever and to great success. The record is full of catchy pop bangers but has a real emotional depth to the theme. This may be the best album born as a byproduct of Covid-19 this year (so far)! Charli XCX accurately conveys her emotions during this time and is very relatable in her lyricism. The soundscape on this record is a little dirtier than her last but the project as a whole still comes off incredibly tight. Though this album isn’t as ground breaking as her previous critically acclaimed release 6 months ago ‘Charli’, ‘how i’m feeling now’ feels thematically more interesting and as a concept album forms a very unique and well-constructed whole.
