You Have to Listen to This: Charli XCX

I used to hate slow songs. I wanted music that made me dance or run—not put me to sleep. Though I've come to acquire a taste for slower tunes, I still prefer upbeat beats. That’s why Charli XCX has lately been my pop artist of choice.

I can listen to her whole album Sucker and hear nonstop raging.  It’s not that she doesn't dedicate time to more grave topics like breakups or regrets; rather, she adorns them with sliding vocals and electronic rhythms that energize. Just think about her hit and the Fault in Our Stars signature song “Boom Clap.” Charli XCX constructs a love song from violent sounds. Her new mixtape, Number 1 Angel, which dropped March 10, is a nonstop trip. 

Charli XCX always provided a refreshing break from America’s pop music, but she wasn’t too far away from the mainstream. With her British accent and origins in performing in underground raves, she sings with grit and punk. You might go to Taylor Swift for love advice or Adele for soul searching, but Charli's that cool cousin you can count on to gush about last night’s adventure and indulge your partying desires. "Doing It" and "Famous" get you in the mood for nights of overconfidence and going too far. Kaleidoscopic, neon "Superlove" has lines like, “You're my favorite drug. I smoke you in the club.” At this point in the semester with Fling and finals on the horizon, "Break the Rules" is the anthem to my mornings: “I don’t want to go to school. I just want to break the rules.”

As she's gotten bigger, she's grown bolder. "Vroom Vroom" is half an explicit address to haters, half hyper, engine–revving rave. Over her 10 new songs, she covers booty calls, drugs and head with a frankness most female pop stars still shy away from. Known for amazing collaborations (“I Love It” with Icona Pop and “Fancy” with Iggy Azalea), this mixtape brings you cupcakKe, ABRA, Uffle, MØ, Starrah and RAYE. Not to mention that she and Mura Masa recently released "1 Night," a single that won’t make history with unique lyrics but certainly will get you on the dance floor with Mura Masa’s electronics.

What I admire most about Charli XCX is the humorous way she handles her music. She laughs at her lover’s lies in the breakup track “You (Ha Ha Ha).” She staggers as a pink zombie in “After The Afterparty.” And she actually dances in her videos—not to the curves of a bed or car, but to the beat of the music. I never know what to expect from her next music video, but I know it will be fantastically random and on the verge of a pop culture trend. I can't wait for the next one.

Photo: Justin Higuchi / CC 2.0