Post-exams is party girl season: week-long hangovers, hair of the dog and MASH three times in one week (or maybe that’s just me). Having attended two Charli xcx-themed club nights since her latest album, , was released on 7th June, I can confirm the album was made to soundtrack feral night club antics. But, beyond showcasing the Cambridge-born musician’s natural talent for rave bangers, the album offers a striking vulnerability that makes it more than just a collection of club classics.
“This album is Charli at her most creatively liberated” is Charli’s sixth studio album, following . Never beating the “pick me” allegations, I’ll admit I was one of many fans disappointed by ’s more mainstream appeal. The glory of Charli’s discography has been her willingness to experiment.
Yet her fifth album, despite containing great songs, could have been written by anyone. is different. The album was marketed as a club record, with tracks teased and sampled at a Boiler Room DJ set in New York entitled “PARTYGIRL”.
The promo was deeply unserious, revealing low-resolution, Microsoft Paint-inspired cover art thought by fans to be a placeholder. An even more unserious cover adorns the deluxe edition, entitled . “Even a casual listener can feel her grief” Tweeting that xcx6 is “the album I’ve always wanted to make,” Charli both epitomises and pays homage to her unique sound on this record.
She takes creative risks, demonstrated best in ‘Everything is romantic.
