Review Summary: The old Charli can't come to the phone rn
The magnitude of Charli xcx's career is one that has a lot of it and will be forthcoming. In this installment she releases recontextualisation of Bratmania through the lens of a camera... lens. And yet with all of this the results are inconclusive. Rock Music or not, it is Music, but the Fashion is arguable, parading around in an Invader Zim t-shirt that you've had since you were 12 but obviously outgrown (c'mon man, get a grip).
Where the Film aspect comes in is obvious. No album in the modern day is complete without visual accompaniment and this album has it. Music videos and the such were released in a timely manner to correspond to the singles and in turn the imagery provided with such laid a foundation for vibes. These vibes include partying, black and white photography and Charli's tit, all things that are very in vogue right now, but still call back to a better more simple time.
As you listen through the album you start to realise we're probably already reaching the peak of "Indie Sleaze Revival", I mean really how much do we want to return to a time where white people had the ***tiest haircuts and everyone was catching chlamydia soundtracked to The Ting Tings. Honestly that's gonna vary person to person so if this sounds like your bag then go balls out, but don't look at me for comfort when you're face down in the gutter crying over your girlfriend who left you because you cheated on her last night, I'm pretty busy today anyway.
David Cronenberg appears on the final track and if you don't know who he is he's Canadian. His presence on this album seems to be an attempt at something, what this could be I have no idea, but I will say this: I'm not falling for it Charlotte. Maybe on the next album you can feature Stephen Jenkins and I will be amazed but rn I am far too jaded, and you have taken the last straw.
What this means for Charli xcx as a brand going forward is anyone's guess. I mean it feels like we've hit all the beats of her story: the rise, the kinda-but-not-really mainstream breakthrough, the boundary-pushing underdog years, the true moment of recognition, and now the defiance of expectations in the face of surveillance. I think whatever happens next Charli will continue to move forward and any choices she makes will in no way shake the foundation of the legacy she's built but one thing's for certain: Eminem feature.
