Charli XCX - Pop 2 Review

PUBLIC BREAKUPS UNDER ROARING RAVE LIGHTS

Though its stylings don't stray from PC Music's futuristic trajectory, there's no denying the invasive impact of Pop 2. In all likelihood, it's the movement's defining project, officially bridging the gap between something that was once, and still is, considered wholeheartedly niche, and the mainstream circles devouring whatever's spoon-fed through their social media outlets. Best of all, though the exaggeration present on Pop 2 isn't entirely to my liking, Charli XCX's commitment to PC Music, lending a pedestal to a myriad of integral artists (especially A.G. Cook) rather than usurping its contents for personal gain (see: Madonna or Cher), deserves applause and accreditation. Strenuously enjoyable, Charli's left field transition asserts dominance with Cook's patented synthesizers - aggressive and obstinate - and her own fractured heart, reflected in the vocals teetering on the edge of sanity.

That being said, preference still greatly lies on how i'm feeling now, the first Charli record I heard. There, the rough edges stitched not with care but with staples, hellbent on aggrandizement to compensate for quarantine in the life of an extrovert. Perhaps it's just the concept, and its slapdash execution, that wins me over. For Pop 2's pristine maximalism, crystal-clear mixing, and finely-tuned passages clearly underwent more assiduous attention to detail. On tracks like 'Lucky' and 'Delicious,' that overextended fastidiousness plays to its detriment, as with see with the former's near-grating vocals and the latter's clunky complication. Tommy Cash's verse on 'Delicious' is assuredly the album's low point, in no part due to Hip-Hop's inclusion, since CupcakKe on 'I Got It' and Mykki Blanco on 'Femmebot' bring the house down. Both instances are highly reminiscent of Vince Staples' Hip House, courtesy in part to SOPHIE who contributes production here on the solid 'Out Of My Head.' Though I question how she had no part in 'Track 10,' as Cook, Lil Data, and Life Sim did a remarkable job parlaying her synthetic infatuation to an emotional club banger.

'Track 10' is Pop 2's runaway winner, due to its progressive House stature and Charli's intoxicating coda. The latter is an excellent example of her vocal repetition, which doesn't always land on Pop 2, though I concede it's mostly preference based. To me, the hooks on 'I Got It' and 'Unlock It' are really cheap and reductive, better utilized as background production filler than pronounced moments on essential singles. Especially when you have 'Tears' and 'Femmebot,' featuring two meaty, complex choruses that capture Hyperpop's tone without relaying on simple, mechanical reiteration. 'Backseat' and 'Out Of My Head' fall somewhere in the middle, a necessary distinction given the fact that, on other Pop albums, they'd be podium refrains. As far as Hyperpop goes, Pop 2 sits comfortably on the second tier. But when compared to Charli XCX's slew of Electropop contemporaries, it's mint.