Take a look at the videos for Charli XCX’s recent singles. There’s a common theme: from the Clueless-inspired Fancy with Iggy Azalea, to the after school fun of Break The Rules, the high school jock-destruction of Breaking Up, and even Boom Clap soundtracking the biggest teen movie of recent years The Fault In Our Stars. Even the video for new single Doing It with Rita Ora has all the vibrancy of a high school Thelma and Louise.
‘Sucker’ is the sound of teen drama and Charli (real name Charlotte
Aitchison) is the coolest chick in school. And with the release of this second
album, she’s the coolest chick in pop.
“You said you wanna bang, well fuck you sucker” she spits at
the very start of the album. From there she chants an anthem to rebellious
youth (Break The Rules), plays the foreign
student (London Queen), breaks up
with her loser boyfriend (Breaking Up), and
dreams of a rockstar lifestyle (Gold
Coins). And that’s just in the first five tracks. Later she belittles her
partner’s sexual prowess on Body Of My
Own and revels in her outrageous behaviour on Famous. It’s not all attitude though: Boom Clap is an ode to the rush of teenage love, whilst on Caught In The Middle she laments the
difficulties of a secret relationship. Regina George is so basic by comparison.
Mostly, this is the sound of rebellion and that stems from
Aitchison’s embracing of pop-punk. The album is full of the shouty choruses and
punk attitude that have become a staple of her music ever since the success of I Love It with Icona Pop. Drums boom and
clap, guitars thrum and jangle, and the vocals are less sung and more chanted
with a reckless smile. She is youth personified, rebelling against the glut of EDM
with a foot firmly in the past. There’s even a nod to Joan Jett’s I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll in the punchy
chords of Hanging Around.
Fans of her older material may miss the gothic electro of the
criminally underrated ‘True Romance’ (I for one am a sucker for a synth), but
this is an altogether more refined and consistent record. And that’s not to say
‘Sucker’ is devoid of electronic modernism; in fact, tracks like Boom Clap, Doing It and Die Tonight
are amongst the album’s best.
If ‘Sucker’ proves anything though, it’s that Aitchison sure
as hell knows her way around a pop song. Each track hovers around the three
minute mark, doesn’t outstay its welcome and is crammed to bursting point with
hooks. “BOOM BOOM BOOM CLAP” is just one example of a song that grabs you
within seconds and refuses to let go. For all her punk aesthetics and
flirtations with edginess, Aitchison is a popstar through and through. Avril
Lavigne wishes she had this rockstar attitude; Sky Ferriera couldn’t hope to
write hooks like these. Charli XCX is the undisputed prom queen, though you get
the impression she wouldn’t be seen dead there. She’s far too cool for that.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Boom Clap
* Doing It
* Caught In The Middle
Listen: ‘Sucker’ is released on 16th February.
