how i'm feeling now / Charli XCX / May 15, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- May 22, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2020
“how i’m feeling now” is born out of a very unique time and unique situation. Stuck in lockdown with her boyfriend, Charli XCX just decided to start working on her third studio album, sharing entire the process of its creation to her fans. And ultimately it’s this trying situation that has led Charlotte to create her most personal and intimate album that so artfully conveys her current emotional state-of-mind to her listeners.
Charli XCX yet again pushes the experimental-pop boundaries in the production, delivering tracks that are more synthetic and more inventive than ever before. The varied and radical use of vocal effects, shifts in pitch, and autotune, the diverse assortment of percussion, and the chaotic, bionic synthesizers and bass lines are all relatively extreme, and yet Charlotte still manages to fit these bold elements within central elements of pop. Obviously her remarkable ability to create captivating pop hooks has to be acknowledged yet again, as this album has more than it’s fair share of them (“forever”).
The most admirable aspect of the album, however, is not just that she is adventurous and experimental in her sound, but that these odd and quirky musical choices are full of purpose. The blaring synthesizers and unrestrained lyricism on “anthems” perfectly captures Charlotte’s desire to leave the house and spend the night out, and the joyful melody line and snappy instrumentation on “forever” admirably convey her love for her boyfriend and the gratefulness she has for him during quarantine.
What makes these tracks so noteworthy are their unparalleled ability to express different aspects of Charli XCX’s mind during lockdown both lyrically and sonically, to a degree of accuracy that is amazing to listen to. Yet again, she manages to nearly perfectly blend the lines between music that is forward-thinking, creative, relatable and listenable.
Best Track(s): claws, forever, pink diamond, enemy
Lowlight(s): i finally understand
SCORE: 7/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKmK5SO_LUE
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