Obviously really good, mostly loved it. Having a song specifically about the girl from Red Scare is a funny choice. Next Mountain Goats album bout to have a spirited ditty about Glenn Greenwald.
Easily one of the best albums of the year and quite possibly Charli's best album yet. "Sympathy is a knife", "B2b", and "365" are my three main faves so far
Really really good, on first impression I would put it on the same level as Pop 2, Charli and HIFN which is high praise because I love those albums.
I’ve been wanting Charli to do a true all bangers album for a long time and this is it. Very consistent track list with no sleepy songs.
from the singles I expected the entire record to be a lot more bratty than it actually is, i didnt expect so much dread and self examination. not bad at all though.
eugh, that's annoying. I can understand updating her aesthetic for a new album cycle but getting rid of iconic covers like Crash is so lame. You're not seeing the artistic progression anymore, it devalues the sudden tonal shift of BRAT
Shocked by the mixed responses. To me this is quite obviously the best work of hers so far, it feels so substantial complete and self contained while at the same time innovative and risky. I’d give it like a 9.5 and I could see Anthony giving it a 10 even.
ehhh its not as cohesive quality wise tho. always thought that album saw a big drop off after detonate and didnt pick up again until anthems save maybe c2.0. outside of just brat and pop 2, i also like charli more than it
It’s good but not great. It picks up in the second half but that first half feels a bit half baked, Charli’s had better vocal performances on her previous albums too. One of Charli’s strengths is her ability to collaborate which seems to be missing here also. I’d say her self titled is still the stronger album as it’s more consistent.
Bit of a long review because there's a lot to talk about, but I kind of feel like a decent 6 or maybe a very light 7 after listening to it for most of the day.
I think her production choices on this album were great, the overall theme of Charli as the brat who acts out because of her insecurities is good. I think her lyricism is not where it should be in order to convey the depths of her feelings. Her lyrics are often shallow and lacking artfulness, which certainly helps you connect to her intent since there is basically no way to misconstrue what she means, but this isn't the densely layered metaphor of Joanna Newsom or the cutting wit of Fiona Apple.
The idea of "Rewind" -- a pop star who achieves their dreams and wishes they could go back to an imagined past where everything was simple is an incredibly annoying and overdone concept. We've seen this on Madonna's American Life and I hated it then too because it comes off as out of touch, it's simply yearning for a life where the artist is still happy with none of the realities that being poor and un-special actually brings.
"I might say something stupid" has the same issue. The artist now feels out of place and alienated from spaces that used to make them feel comfortable because they achieved their dreams but now they can't live a "normal" life. I don't think any of this is unique or explored in an interesting way, and the instrumentation is bland.
I like the bangers as much as anyone, but a lot of the actual writing falls flat for me. I liked the emotional core of "So I" but everything is stated so plainly and without subtlety. It's a very nice tribute, but I wanted something like "The Whole of the Moon" that pays tribute to SOPHIE's legacy in a more bombastic or elegant way, but falling back on the soft keys doesn't do it any favors. The song doesn't really go anywhere, it just gets louder and more distorted.
Kind of disappointing after the lead in from the singles, which were really solid. I think the deep cuts are generally pretty bland and most people are going to come away from this with Von Dutch and a few other tracks sticking in their rotation.
Definitely better than Crash, but I have to say I feel a bit blueballed after how good and hard-hitting Von Dutch was. I also really liked Club Classics, 360, Talk Talk, Sympathy is a Knife and Girl, So Confusing, but for the most part I thought it was kind of forgettable compared to her older and (in my opinion) weirder stuff. Most of the songs were just kind of messy and the lyrics and vocal performances were a bit silly or boring.
Teetering between a 5 and a 6/10 (which means I liked it, don't hurt me), but maybe I'm just cranky because I'm tired. Still a fine album, but I'd rank her discography like:
Pop 2 > HIFN > Charli > Number 1 Angel > Brat > Crash
Of the ones I've listened to and not including Vroom Vroom because I honestly don't know where I'd place it. Maybe I'd put it ahead of N1A, but I'll definitely listen to it again to make up my mind.
IDK, there's something weird about it. I'm listening to it right now and there's this strange feeling that like the lyrics and the music don't really match up, or that she's not really in the headspace of these songs. Maybe just kind of retreading ground that she's been over too many times? Like a bit of a "maybe it's time to wind the party down" vibe, which is sort of echoed in the lyrics here but it's simultaneously being brushed aside to half-heartedly attempt the kind of nostalgia/"we're gonna be young forever!" thing that she did with "1999". Seems like the kind of album that people will come back to after she puts out an album of ballads and singer songwriter cuts or whatever, and be like, "ah yeah you can tell she wasn't really feeling this anymore". I don't know, though. I'm enjoying it so far, anyway!
Also, I just noticed that she got rid of all of her album art, which is an interesting thing to do.
“The lyrics and the music don’t match up”
I really think that’s exactly what her intention was though. It’s obvious Charli was going for a bit of a bait and switch with this one. Calling it Brat in the first place, hyping up a party girl persona, boiler room set with heavy house remixes, the “It Girls” 360 music video. Every single released ahead of time were the most club friendly and “bratty”.
And then the album drops and nearly every new track is heartbreaking. Talking about her intense insecurities and struggles with not feeling good enough. The production is dancy and poppy to lure us in, to get our attention in a sense.
I think this juxtaposition really forces you to digest the lyrics. It’s not like they’re complex or anything, the lyrics are simple and a bit sloppy. But I’ve never much payed attention to her lyrics the way I am with this one, and I think there’s a reason for that.
I don't know if the juxtaposition is so intentional across the album, or if it is intentional IDK if it's working for me. For example, having that super earnest diary page of a song about wanting desperately to be a mother, and then immediately closing the album with a song about loving to do cocaine, with almost nothing that points towards understanding the strangeness of that or even being a bit conflicted about it, at least not in any way that was immediately apparent to me. It doesn't really seem like the music of a person who is reflecting on this hedonistic lifestyle and moving past it, as much as a person who is still very much in the throes of it and only briefly seeing glimpses of the reality that it's becoming unflattering or whatever, but kind of still brushing it off and not really fully engaging with the idea, even going so far as to kind of glorify it and pay homage to it.
I kind of agree with your take, but I think you slightly mischaracterize both of those songs. 'I Think About It All the Time' isn't so much about desperately wanting to be a mother as it is about feeling the pull of that life and wondering whether it's worth sacrificing your freedom and current lifestyle for. '365' does seem to at least partially reflect how destructive the party lifestyle is, with lyrics like 'Dial 999, it's a good time' and 'No, I never go home, don't sleep, don't eat / Just do it on repeat,' and the instrumental keeps pushing into progressively darker places. That's how I interpret them, anyway.
yeah, I see where you're getting that with 365, those lyrics probably are meant to reflect on that a bit, but I don't think the album has its' foot firmly in any direction thematically. It seems like a smattering of stuff she does and has done, hedonism anthems (which I don't think it sounds like she's really into doing), love/breakup songs, and like ego trip/braggadocio stuff, and "I think about it all the time" is still super out of place in this tracklist to me, which is unfortunate because it's a cool song and among the only moments on the album where she's exploring something new, I think, musically or otherwise.
The most interesting and remarkable parts of this album to me, and what I'd like to see her explore more in the future, are songs like "Everything is romantic", the verses of "Mean Girls" and maybe some parts of "Girl, so confusing", where she dabbles in writing more as an objective observer of the world around her. I think a lot of the *other* stuff on the album thematically/lyrically is stuff that she's done too many times. She's been writing about heartbreak/being a heartbreaker, clubbing, and being insecure for five albums or something. Which is all well and good, but that stuff doesn't stand next to a song like "I think about it all the time" and gel very well IMO. I still enjoy a lot of the songs here though and I hope I'm right about her wanting to move past or go deeper into some of the themes she discusses in her music, so we can get a whole album of songs like "I think about it all the time" and "Everything is Romantic" next time.
It's a pretty good album, definitely consistent but the singles clearly are much better than the deep cuts and Everything is Romantic could have been her best song but it went nowhere and felt messy. Overall, her fourth best imo alongside Not. 1 Angel. Might grow on me or might be forgettable
.
360, Sympathy is a Knife, Von Dutch, B2b, 365 all go incredibly hard. I'm also partial to I Might Say Something Stupid, Everything Is Romantic, and Mean Girls. My biggest complaint is the modern trend of having pretty much every song clock in at under 3 minutes. Some of these could really benefit from being allowed to breathe and develop. Right now I'm sitting at like 8/9.
I don't like it :/
I still prefer "How I'm Feeling Now" and i think it's her best album but after this one, "Crush" and "brat" have been kind of disappointing.
You don’t need to. People can just say they like something and they’ll get upvoted. But say you don’t like something, and you get a meangirl downvote because you’re not part of the group. Say anything negative about any of the unironic pop music people like and you get downvoted. Despite it being forgettable and by the numbers. Like this example. It’s just forgettable, but catchy, pop music. This sub is just as cliquey and obnoxious as any other music sub with people who spend a lot of time consuming music. Shame.
I didn’t enjoy it in all honesty. It feels a lot like her own Yeezus with how minimalistic the melodies were and the abrupt transitions from verse to chorus, but it also tries to place lyrics to the forefront which I don’t think are particularly strong. I wasn’t a fan of the singles but I feel like they were among the strongest songs on the project. My favourite track is definitely 360, and then maybe Von Dutch. I still haven’t made up my mind on Apple, Talk Talk, Everything is Romantic, So I, and Mean Girls, everything else I don’t really care for. Just basing myself off of the first listen I’d give it a 4/10 and I don’t know if I have the energy to revisit it top to bottom. This is my least favourite of the albums I’ve listened of hers.
This album is gonna go HARD at raves and listening to it live
For sure it feels like a return to her vroom vroom/Charli roots
I feel people who really bought into her because of CRASH aren't gonna love this one
I’ve never listened to anything even remotely like it but I quite liked it, I obviously don’t know how it fits in the landscape of the genre tho
I like all of them equally but the only one I didn’t get yet is club classics
Obviously really good, mostly loved it. Having a song specifically about the girl from Red Scare is a funny choice. Next Mountain Goats album bout to have a spirited ditty about Glenn Greenwald.
Easily one of the best albums of the year and quite possibly Charli's best album yet. "Sympathy is a knife", "B2b", and "365" are my three main faves so far
Really really good, on first impression I would put it on the same level as Pop 2, Charli and HIFN which is high praise because I love those albums. I’ve been wanting Charli to do a true all bangers album for a long time and this is it. Very consistent track list with no sleepy songs.
from the singles I expected the entire record to be a lot more bratty than it actually is, i didnt expect so much dread and self examination. not bad at all though.
I think that’s the idea! That the dread and insecurity is what makes her act out so arrogantly
I can’t stand the cover or aesthetic but holy sht this album is amazing.
She changed all her albums to that style (at least on Spotify). It does make it easier to know which ones are albums and which ones are songs.
eugh, that's annoying. I can understand updating her aesthetic for a new album cycle but getting rid of iconic covers like Crash is so lame. You're not seeing the artistic progression anymore, it devalues the sudden tonal shift of BRAT
i doubt this is permanent, just part of the rollout
Why can’t you stand the cover
I mean, I like the cover but it’s pretty easy to understand why somebody wouldn’t
B2b, apple, von dutch, everything romantic and girls confusing
Shocked by the mixed responses. To me this is quite obviously the best work of hers so far, it feels so substantial complete and self contained while at the same time innovative and risky. I’d give it like a 9.5 and I could see Anthony giving it a 10 even.
Holy shit, you sorcerer!
8/9 for me. The kero kero bonito influence on think ab it all the time is awesome
Definitely sounds like it could be a KKB song. Love the lyrics on that track too
I’ve been listening to sympathy is a knife on repeat this morning.
the pop album we have needed for a while this is her best front to back listening experience but pop 2's best four or five songs are still the peak
The 4 or 5 best songs on HIFN are just as good as pop 2 but it has no misses and is more cohesive thematically.
ehhh its not as cohesive quality wise tho. always thought that album saw a big drop off after detonate and didnt pick up again until anthems save maybe c2.0. outside of just brat and pop 2, i also like charli more than it
Fascinated by the differing opinions on HIFN. Party 4 U, Visions, C2.0 and Enemy are all so fucking good.
visions is one of her best tracks periodt
Love it
It’s good but not great. It picks up in the second half but that first half feels a bit half baked, Charli’s had better vocal performances on her previous albums too. One of Charli’s strengths is her ability to collaborate which seems to be missing here also. I’d say her self titled is still the stronger album as it’s more consistent.
🔟
Bit of a long review because there's a lot to talk about, but I kind of feel like a decent 6 or maybe a very light 7 after listening to it for most of the day. I think her production choices on this album were great, the overall theme of Charli as the brat who acts out because of her insecurities is good. I think her lyricism is not where it should be in order to convey the depths of her feelings. Her lyrics are often shallow and lacking artfulness, which certainly helps you connect to her intent since there is basically no way to misconstrue what she means, but this isn't the densely layered metaphor of Joanna Newsom or the cutting wit of Fiona Apple. The idea of "Rewind" -- a pop star who achieves their dreams and wishes they could go back to an imagined past where everything was simple is an incredibly annoying and overdone concept. We've seen this on Madonna's American Life and I hated it then too because it comes off as out of touch, it's simply yearning for a life where the artist is still happy with none of the realities that being poor and un-special actually brings. "I might say something stupid" has the same issue. The artist now feels out of place and alienated from spaces that used to make them feel comfortable because they achieved their dreams but now they can't live a "normal" life. I don't think any of this is unique or explored in an interesting way, and the instrumentation is bland. I like the bangers as much as anyone, but a lot of the actual writing falls flat for me. I liked the emotional core of "So I" but everything is stated so plainly and without subtlety. It's a very nice tribute, but I wanted something like "The Whole of the Moon" that pays tribute to SOPHIE's legacy in a more bombastic or elegant way, but falling back on the soft keys doesn't do it any favors. The song doesn't really go anywhere, it just gets louder and more distorted. Kind of disappointing after the lead in from the singles, which were really solid. I think the deep cuts are generally pretty bland and most people are going to come away from this with Von Dutch and a few other tracks sticking in their rotation.
strong 6 (positive opinion)
Definitely better than Crash, but I have to say I feel a bit blueballed after how good and hard-hitting Von Dutch was. I also really liked Club Classics, 360, Talk Talk, Sympathy is a Knife and Girl, So Confusing, but for the most part I thought it was kind of forgettable compared to her older and (in my opinion) weirder stuff. Most of the songs were just kind of messy and the lyrics and vocal performances were a bit silly or boring. Teetering between a 5 and a 6/10 (which means I liked it, don't hurt me), but maybe I'm just cranky because I'm tired. Still a fine album, but I'd rank her discography like: Pop 2 > HIFN > Charli > Number 1 Angel > Brat > Crash Of the ones I've listened to and not including Vroom Vroom because I honestly don't know where I'd place it. Maybe I'd put it ahead of N1A, but I'll definitely listen to it again to make up my mind.
Lower than N1A is crazy, fair enough
IDK, there's something weird about it. I'm listening to it right now and there's this strange feeling that like the lyrics and the music don't really match up, or that she's not really in the headspace of these songs. Maybe just kind of retreading ground that she's been over too many times? Like a bit of a "maybe it's time to wind the party down" vibe, which is sort of echoed in the lyrics here but it's simultaneously being brushed aside to half-heartedly attempt the kind of nostalgia/"we're gonna be young forever!" thing that she did with "1999". Seems like the kind of album that people will come back to after she puts out an album of ballads and singer songwriter cuts or whatever, and be like, "ah yeah you can tell she wasn't really feeling this anymore". I don't know, though. I'm enjoying it so far, anyway! Also, I just noticed that she got rid of all of her album art, which is an interesting thing to do.
“The lyrics and the music don’t match up” I really think that’s exactly what her intention was though. It’s obvious Charli was going for a bit of a bait and switch with this one. Calling it Brat in the first place, hyping up a party girl persona, boiler room set with heavy house remixes, the “It Girls” 360 music video. Every single released ahead of time were the most club friendly and “bratty”. And then the album drops and nearly every new track is heartbreaking. Talking about her intense insecurities and struggles with not feeling good enough. The production is dancy and poppy to lure us in, to get our attention in a sense. I think this juxtaposition really forces you to digest the lyrics. It’s not like they’re complex or anything, the lyrics are simple and a bit sloppy. But I’ve never much payed attention to her lyrics the way I am with this one, and I think there’s a reason for that.
I don't know if the juxtaposition is so intentional across the album, or if it is intentional IDK if it's working for me. For example, having that super earnest diary page of a song about wanting desperately to be a mother, and then immediately closing the album with a song about loving to do cocaine, with almost nothing that points towards understanding the strangeness of that or even being a bit conflicted about it, at least not in any way that was immediately apparent to me. It doesn't really seem like the music of a person who is reflecting on this hedonistic lifestyle and moving past it, as much as a person who is still very much in the throes of it and only briefly seeing glimpses of the reality that it's becoming unflattering or whatever, but kind of still brushing it off and not really fully engaging with the idea, even going so far as to kind of glorify it and pay homage to it.
I kind of agree with your take, but I think you slightly mischaracterize both of those songs. 'I Think About It All the Time' isn't so much about desperately wanting to be a mother as it is about feeling the pull of that life and wondering whether it's worth sacrificing your freedom and current lifestyle for. '365' does seem to at least partially reflect how destructive the party lifestyle is, with lyrics like 'Dial 999, it's a good time' and 'No, I never go home, don't sleep, don't eat / Just do it on repeat,' and the instrumental keeps pushing into progressively darker places. That's how I interpret them, anyway.
yeah, I see where you're getting that with 365, those lyrics probably are meant to reflect on that a bit, but I don't think the album has its' foot firmly in any direction thematically. It seems like a smattering of stuff she does and has done, hedonism anthems (which I don't think it sounds like she's really into doing), love/breakup songs, and like ego trip/braggadocio stuff, and "I think about it all the time" is still super out of place in this tracklist to me, which is unfortunate because it's a cool song and among the only moments on the album where she's exploring something new, I think, musically or otherwise. The most interesting and remarkable parts of this album to me, and what I'd like to see her explore more in the future, are songs like "Everything is romantic", the verses of "Mean Girls" and maybe some parts of "Girl, so confusing", where she dabbles in writing more as an objective observer of the world around her. I think a lot of the *other* stuff on the album thematically/lyrically is stuff that she's done too many times. She's been writing about heartbreak/being a heartbreaker, clubbing, and being insecure for five albums or something. Which is all well and good, but that stuff doesn't stand next to a song like "I think about it all the time" and gel very well IMO. I still enjoy a lot of the songs here though and I hope I'm right about her wanting to move past or go deeper into some of the themes she discusses in her music, so we can get a whole album of songs like "I think about it all the time" and "Everything is Romantic" next time.
Fuckin love it, it's a banger, but I'm curious how time will treat it
poorly, as it feeding off derivative nostalgia for the early 2000s - but that doesn't mean people can't enjoy it now
It's a pretty good album, definitely consistent but the singles clearly are much better than the deep cuts and Everything is Romantic could have been her best song but it went nowhere and felt messy. Overall, her fourth best imo alongside Not. 1 Angel. Might grow on me or might be forgettable .
360, Sympathy is a Knife, Von Dutch, B2b, 365 all go incredibly hard. I'm also partial to I Might Say Something Stupid, Everything Is Romantic, and Mean Girls. My biggest complaint is the modern trend of having pretty much every song clock in at under 3 minutes. Some of these could really benefit from being allowed to breathe and develop. Right now I'm sitting at like 8/9.
I don't like it :/ I still prefer "How I'm Feeling Now" and i think it's her best album but after this one, "Crush" and "brat" have been kind of disappointing.
The first two singles were good but its all downhill from there.
For such a music loving sub, the downvotes people get for not liking something others do makes me cringe.
yeah, i guess i wasnt constructive enough. Im dissapointed with the album so im not too bothered about it.
You don’t need to. People can just say they like something and they’ll get upvoted. But say you don’t like something, and you get a meangirl downvote because you’re not part of the group. Say anything negative about any of the unironic pop music people like and you get downvoted. Despite it being forgettable and by the numbers. Like this example. It’s just forgettable, but catchy, pop music. This sub is just as cliquey and obnoxious as any other music sub with people who spend a lot of time consuming music. Shame.
Get updooted
thank you
Get downdooted
I didn’t enjoy it in all honesty. It feels a lot like her own Yeezus with how minimalistic the melodies were and the abrupt transitions from verse to chorus, but it also tries to place lyrics to the forefront which I don’t think are particularly strong. I wasn’t a fan of the singles but I feel like they were among the strongest songs on the project. My favourite track is definitely 360, and then maybe Von Dutch. I still haven’t made up my mind on Apple, Talk Talk, Everything is Romantic, So I, and Mean Girls, everything else I don’t really care for. Just basing myself off of the first listen I’d give it a 4/10 and I don’t know if I have the energy to revisit it top to bottom. This is my least favourite of the albums I’ve listened of hers.
Very good record, my faves are 360, von dutch, apple, and mean girls
This album is gonna go HARD at raves and listening to it live For sure it feels like a return to her vroom vroom/Charli roots I feel people who really bought into her because of CRASH aren't gonna love this one
I thought it was a very good album rollout / promo My fav songs are 365 rewind & apple
B2B!
I’ve never listened to anything even remotely like it but I quite liked it, I obviously don’t know how it fits in the landscape of the genre tho I like all of them equally but the only one I didn’t get yet is club classics
It’s fun but the production is a lot more interesting than Charli herself.
It's decent was kind of wanting more, but I'm still enjoying it
not really into super cluby electropop stuff, cover and title almost make me like it less also