This young popling arose from nowhere, at least to my knowledge. 20 year old Charli came to my attention when I was presented with the video to her single ‘You (Ha Ha Ha)’ on a well known streaming channel. Sampling a track by Gold Panda, this electro-Asian masterpiece features a distinct Sitar-on-acid production, layered underneath Charli’s Marina Diamandis type vocals. It’s instantly infectious, loveable, and bloody brilliant. It’s a good thing the rest of her debut album True Romance is pretty solid.
Opener ‘Nuclear Seasons’ starts off with haunting ‘oohs & aahs’ then kicks into a post apocalyptic electronic affair, setting the dark tone for the remainder of the record. The pace quickens with the likes of ‘Take My Hand’, a bleeping monster of a track & gets rougher with ‘Cloud Aura’ featuring rapper Brook Candy. The latter has a gorgeous chorus, meandering across softened beats before a biting ‘Ima fuck your shit up’ rap segue.
Not shying away from a power ballad, Charli belts out her own take on the classic pop form. ‘You’re the One’ is an incredible track; intricate lyricism and hooks everywhere make this an album highlight. It’s her debut single ‘Stay Away’ that shines brightest though. It opens with a grumbling synth that’s relentless under the breathy verses and continues behind the stunning bridge & chorus: ‘I knew you were no angel, but God what did I do?/ Do you remember what I said the first time that we met/ Stay away, won’t you just stay away?’
True Romance is laced with retro electronic influences that make it so current it’s ahead of its time. It’s packed with disturbingly underrated and unknown musical gems. An album like this deserves public recognition to match the great critical praise. It also deserves this recognition because it’s an admirably ambitious first outing for such a young woman. It doesn’t follow the predictable teenybopper approach; no, it takes the 16 year old Britney and drop kicks her in the throat. If you’re looking for album that’s unlike anything else out at the moment Charli’s your gal.
Download: You (Ha Ha Ha)/Stay Away/Take My Hand/You’re the One
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