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She gave Iggy Azaleas Fancy its wings.
She gaveThe Fault in Our Starsitssignature tune.
It is emotionally expensive behavior.
XCXs third album,Charli, is fishscale anxiety-pop.
Did I fuck it up?
/ Are my friends really friends now?
/ Or are they far gone?Charlis specific magic is making these missives soar.
The singer glides into her upper register with the effortless ease of early Rihanna.
You nearly forget Cross You Out is about a breakup as the vocal skips around octaves in the chorus.
Together, they giftCharlia sound thats catchy but also confrontational.
Like rock candy, these songs are sweet but sharp around the edges.
The synth hits from Gone are percussive enough to fill out spaces in the drum pattern in the chorus.
The braying keys buttressing Charlis flights in Thoughts are what the fanfare at a robots funeral might sound like.
Click could pass for aSpace Invadersarcade cabinet tumbling down a flight of stairs.
I Dont Wanna Know introduces an 80s feel with a dollop of gated reverb.
Fun-house vocal effects keep Charli and her rotating cast of friends sounding freshly outrageous on each song.
A dab of Auto-Tune turns the killer Kim Petras verse in Click into a mindfuck.
The weird kids are crashing the party, and making great music about how the party sucks.
Thats a delightful change of pace.
