<p><span><span>- On her newest record <em>how i’m feeling now</em>, pop futurist Charli XCX has decided that while she could coast for a few years on the release of her self-titled, magnum opus <em>Charli </em>- she’s not finished yet! Where last year’s album saw Charli stretch the dimensions of pop music to both experimental and accessible extremes, <em>how i’m feeling now </em>is more akin to the PC Music, bubblegum bass and dance-pop of her 2017 mixtapes.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>From album opener <em>Pink Diamond</em>, it’s immediately clear that Charli is not trying to make this album accessible in the same way as her self-titled album. Similar to the industrial bass of penultimate track <em>Anthems</em> which bookends the album in this metallic, dissipating, post-PC, <em>Pink Diamond</em> prominently features a Y2K style beat that transforms into a whirring, howling <strong>Death Grips</strong> like track that expands before tearing itself apart. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span><em>how i’m feeling now </em>isn’t entirely this inaccessible, <em>Forever</em> and <em>7 Years</em> feature slightly abrasive production that acts to emotionally heighten the lyrics of the songs. Devised, announced, written, produced and distributed entirely during isolation, <em>how i’m feeling now </em>conceptualises Charli’s relationship with her boyfriend and herself, as these songs detail the highs and lows of isolation. <em>Claws</em> which seemingly details isolation at its brightest, is a vessel for Charli’s romanticisms; she repeats “<em>I like / I like / I like everything about you</em>” on-and-on, endlessly. On the downtempo, '80’s feeling <em>Enemy</em>, Charli expresses the lows of living in isolation: “<em>Maybe you’re my enemy / You could do a little damage, you could cut me deeper</em>” she sings with a cautious optimism struggling to emerge.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>If there is one single misstep here, it would be the track <em>c2.0</em>. As a reworking of fan-favourite <em>Click</em> from Charli’s previous record, it fails to match or even step to the oppressive strength of <em>Click </em>at all. <em>c2.0 </em>isn’t bad, it just lacks the strength and purpose of everything that comes before and after.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><em>how i’m feeling now</em> is a time capsule of isolation: it’s an album that could not have created in any other time period. I’m left to wonder how it’ll age. In two years will we really find these lyrics as relevant. As Charli sings on <em>Anthem,</em> “<em>Hello, I’m so bored / Wake up late, eat some cereal / Try my best to be physical / All my friends are invisible</em>”, it’s clear that she’s no longer making music of the future, she’s finally embraced the present.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Sean Tayler.</span></span></p>
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