Have you ever watched the Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica anime series? For those of you who have watched the series, you'd know that it's popular for not being a "magical girl" anime, but rather being a deconstruction of the "magical girl" genre in anime. If not, I'll give you a brief synopsis: A school girl stumbles upon a cat-like creature along with a few other girls with pretty outfits, weapons etc. Now, while you think it's meant to be a normal magical girl show, plot twist! A couple episodes later, after the kitty grants them all a wish, they soon use those wishes to become magical girls who have a job to fight against witches. And not only that, there's a lot of drama, psychological aspects and tension ensuring to make the viewer prepare for the ride. It's a perfect way to describe the words "Don't ever judge a book by its cover."
So with that, how i'm feeling now (before you say anything, no, this album is actually titled "how i'm feeling now" - everything is stylized in lower case), Charli XCX's now 4th studio album following her already creative collection of pop songs months ago, Charli, shows our dear happy-go-lucky & hyperactive Charlotte Aitchison completely deconstructing the pop genre much like what Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica does to the magical girl anime genre. It takes all the normal elements of a pop album, chucks them into the recycle bin and then creates elements of its own. Much like Hitchcock or Picasso, it does what it wants and achieves it so very greatly in its 37-minute span.
However, how i'm feeling now, while it does show Miss Aitchison being Miss Aitchison and no one else - in this case not having any guests or other vocal contributions - how i'm feeling now should also be considered a collaborative effort. Charli herself has been asking us fans to collaborate with her on making the music video for her lead single, Forever* to show how we all will not let the coronavirus pandemic win. During this time, everyone's lives around the world were in jeopardy. Over 3 million people were confirmed cases while well over 150.000 or so were casualties to the pandemic. Many were alone, isolated, sad, on the verge of suicide, relationships were falling apart, people had been losing their jobs and education institutes were condemned and temporarily halted. That fortunately didn't stop her from putting just 6 weeks of work into making her is very easily her prettiest set of songs yet.
Multiple topics are contributed to how i'm feeling now. Whether it's about self-isolation, being separated from your friends, family or your date, alienation, it's also about love, staying there for one another and being with those you cherish & love. It's honest and even touching in most of these songs. You journey through the work, blood, tears and sweat she had been pouring into the process of the making.
The production on the album gives it the more deconstructive and feral nature than on her previous outputs. Charli XCX brings back A. G. Cook who served as the executive producer for Number 1 Angel, Pop 2 & Charli, while also collaborating with Dylan Brady (100 gecs) and BJ Burton (known for working with Miley Cyrus, Lizzo & Bon Iver). All of this makes it the most chaotic listening experience, preparing the listener for a huge rollercoaster ride.
But what is it that holds back the album from perfection? Well, while the production on this album is the best and wackiest out of all Charli XCX efforts, given its 37-minute span, my only wish is that I would've liked to hear a little more, but given she made this in only 6 weeks, it can't be said I'm walking away unimpressed. There's not a single track here that should be skipped, all are very tightly connected and none of the tracks every try to overstay their welcome.
It's funny how on her previous album, there was a song aptly titled "Next Level Charli". On how i'm feeling now, Miss Aitchison has blossomed into a true artist who keeps pushing the boundaries of pop music, deconstructing its tropes and re-inventing them piece by piece. She's got her style down pat, it's an album that is pure Charli XCX, no features or duets and an album that shows how music can exist, help and guide us in any point of our lives, especially in these bleak, darkened times of the coronavirus pandemic. Young pop stars should take notes of what she's done.
4.0/5
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Attribution: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/charli-xcx/how-im-feeling-now/reviews/13/, [Rating129745231]
