Albums : Charli XCX : True Romance

Albums : Charli XCX : True Romance

Listen To Charli XCX : True Romance

Charlotte Aitchison didn't listen to Top 40 when she was first exploring her musical interests in her early teens. Instead, the Hertfordshire, England native better known as Charli XCX was rummaging through CD crates for punk CDs and wearing defiant outfits to school -- "five belts instead of one," she recalls -- in order to demonstrate her overall rebelliousness.

"I was a massive fan of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and I also bought loads of like really rubbish punk compilation CDs, and [albums] from bands like Sham 69 and the Vibrators," the U.K. singer tells Billboard. "I was really into that for a period of time because I loved that whole spirit that punk was about… I've just always liked that 'break free' kind of thing."

Fast forward a half-decade, and the 20-year-old Charli XCX has morphed into one of the most promising new talents in pop music, all while maintaining a decidedly punk attitude. For instance, "You (Ha Ha Ha)," her latest single released earlier this month, is a deliriously catchy piece of bubblegum, but with a music video that features the singer wearing a spiked collar and traipsing around a weapons factory. After months of blog hype due to killer solo singles like "Nuclear Seasons," "Stay Away" and "You're The One," as well as a featured spot on Icona Pop's single "I Love It" (which has sold 71,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan), Charli XCX will release her debut album in "April or May," and hopes to breach the mainstream pop scene in the States -- while still frequenting punk shows in Chinatown, as she did during her last visit to New York City.

Although "Stay Away" and "Nuclear Seasons" will both be included on her forthcoming album, Charli XCX's debut will be led by "You (Ha Ha Ha)," which samples Gold Panda's 2010 track "You" and will receive a remixes EP release in February. The original track's music video, which has racked up 276,000 Youtube views since its Jan. 10 release, is an homage to "Grindhouse girls," with a kick-ass collection of ladies manufacturing and then dancing with automatic weapons in hand.

Charli XCX acknowledges that the timing of the clip's release was a bit dubious due to the recent swath of shooting tragedies in the U.S., but says that "You (Ha Ha Ha)'s" video is meant to herald girl power, not violence. "From Jessie Ware to Azealea Banks to Grimes, I think it's a really good time for girls [in music] at the moment," she says. "I've always been a fan of standing up for what you do, and just doing shit your own way. I think it's important for girls to not get sucked into the whole idea of being perfect, because sometimes, the pop world is very perfect."

If tracks like "You (Ha Ha Ha)" and "Nuclear Seasons" are any indication, Charli XCX's debut LP will challenge the conventions of female pop music in 2013. The singer says that Ariel Rechtshaid, the pop whiz who helmed Sky Ferreira's "Everything is Embarrassing" and scored writing credits on Usher's "Looking 4 Myself" album, is the main producer on the album, after helming "Nuclear Seasons" and "Stay Away." Charli has also logged studio time with Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow and Clams Casino, the cloud-rap maestro responsible for some of A$AP Rocky and Mac Miller's best beats.

"He's one of my favorite producers and I love the sound that he makes -- it's so luscious, angelic, and kind of drugged out at the same time," she says of Clams Casino. "We did the session and the stuff that we got sounded really cool. We haven't finished yet. I never know [if it will make the album] until it's at least finished, and I have like five weeks to listen to that one song on repeat and then I'm like, 'I know, it's going to be Track 5 on the album!'"

As she pairs down her debut album's track list and picks 10-12 songs that best represent her sound, Charli XCX is also furiously honing her stage show, after scoring a spot on Coldplay's 2012 tour alongside fellow opener Santigold. The singer hopes to kick off a proper headlining tour in the States sometime in the next two months, and plans on being at South by Southwest in March.

"I'm working like a crazy bitch on my show at the moment, because I want it to be fucking amazing," says Charli XCX. "I'm basically making a music video of every song … we're going to use all these film samples from my favorite films, like 'The Craft,' 'Clueless' and 'Carrie.' So it's going to be incredible."

True Romance Review
Still riding high on the Hot 100 with the brazen “I Love It,” a song she co-wrote, demoed and graciously handed over to Swedish duo Icona Pop, Charli XCX deserves far more recognition than the “featuring” credit that single affords her. A battle-scarred pop veteran at the ripe old age of 21, Charli has been banging away at a music career since she was a kid, releasing artsy singles funded by her folks until an actual label (IAMSOUND) spotted her talent and snatched her up tout de suite. The two years since have been a slow burn; Ms. XCX bided her time with a handful of catchy but shadowy dance singles, remix EPs, mixtapes and live performances, winning over critics and fans all the while. Now the British ingenue is finally seeing the release of her highly-anticipated debut opus, True Romance (out today, April 16), and we’re happy to report that it’s a monster!

Listeners who first became aware of Charli through her initial run of singles will be relieved to know that those gems are included here and set the pace for most of the album. “Stay Away,” a Shangri-Las-esque lament married to a clanging industrial soundtrack, is stunning in its darkness, all teenage drama and brooding spoken passages. Its follow-up, “Nuclear Seasons,” remains a propulsive slice of goth-dance, its earworm melody suggesting an unholy collaboration between Siouxsie Sioux and ’80s disco darlings Nu Shooz. More recent singles “You’re The One” and “You (Ha Ha Ha)” build on that template, sounding at once like number one hits, and yet something you’d only hear on the radio if you lived on Mars. Despite none of these singles setting the charts afire, they define the Charli XCX sound: emotional electro-pop delivered over a blend of forward-thinking grooves and dreamy soundscapes.

From there, new tracks “Set Me Free” and “So Far Away” continue the moody motif without losing momentum or inspiration, with Ms. XCX gradually adding a more euphoric angle to the proceedings. “What I Like” features an especially dirty hi-hat scrape alongside a playful sex rap (“We on some husband and wife shit/ I don’t really care ’cause I know that I like it!”), eventually giving way to the kind of misty chorus she’s made her hallmark. The perky “Black Roses,” “Take My Hand” and “Grins” similarly let a peek of sunshine come through the clouds.

Not content to let her producers (Ariel Rechtshaid, J£zus Million, Robyn cohort Patrik Berger) do all the work, Charli co-wrote every track and the entire affair holds together extremely well because of her upfront, expressive point of view. Simply put, every song is a page from her diary: romantic, frank, sometimes ridiculous and sometimes dark, but always sincere. Influences may range from the aforementioned Ms. Sioux to David Bowie and the Spice Girls, but True Romance owes not a thing to those artists, and sounds like nothing currently on the pop scene. Simultaneously sparkling and grimy, outfitted with wall-to-wall hooks and heavy on youthful pathos, it stands as an ideal pop album, and one of the most exciting releases of the year.


Contact Charli XCX
Website  | Twitter  | Facebook | YouTube | MySpace | Soundcloud | iTunes

Contact Billboard
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Spotify | Newsletter

Contact Idolator
Website  | Twitter  | Facebook | Email

Sources : Charli XCX Photo | Listen To True Romance | Charli XCX Article | You (Ha Ha Ha) Video | Nuclear Seasons Video | True Romance Review

Purchase : iTunes | Amazon