Charli XCX’s newest quarantine made album is a futuristic evolution of her experimental pop sound that pushes boundaries for what we know as mainstream music.
By Gavin Majeski
In 2019, Charli XCX released her fifth album, “Charli” that saw her continue to evolve her unique take on pop music which started to form in her 2016 EP “Vroom Vroom” and 2017 album “Pop 2.” “how i’m feeling now” continues to push the sound of mainstream contemporary pop music with futuristic production from the likes of PC Music’s A.G. Cook and Dylan Brady of 100 gecs. In addition, “how i’m feeling now” was made in the span of six weeks while Charli was under pandemic lockdown in her home country of England.
Unlike her previous record, “Charli,” “how i’m feeling now” contains no featured artists and significantly less slower paced songs such as “White Mercedes” and “I Don’t Want To Know,” which allowed for a change of pace that felt erratic on the previous record. The 2020 album contains consistent, deconstructed club party anthems with zero filler. Production from Brady adds to this tenfold within the songs “claws” and “anthem,” which contain textured, synthetic production reminiscent of PC Music’s SOPHIE who has worked previously with Charli.
From a lyrical standpoint, “how i’m feeling now” delves into a balance between the feelings of Charli during isolation and a significant emphasis on the highs and lows of a relationship; primarily the positives. Charli describes the album as “DIY” due to the very nature of only being able to use the resources at her fingertips during isolation. This includes production, artwork, videos and everything in between.
For an album made in such a short period of time, Charli XCX surpasses expectations, thus creating her best album to date.
Favorite Tracks: ALL
8.5/10