Known for her obscure outfits and working with artists such as Icona Pop and Rita Ora, the antagonistic ambiances of pop-punk supreme Charli XCX’s latest album Sucker display associations with one word: attitude. What’s more, the album delivers strong messages of breaking rules, falling drunkenly down stairs and crashing parties which patently presents Sucker as a mantra for the 21st century ‘teenage rebel’.
As the title track, ‘Sucker’ is a roaring anthem of passion immediately establishing the album as a fusion of punk ire with memorable melodies acting as a voice for Charli which says an immense ‘F*CK YOU’ to all those who have ever doubted her journey to fame, but also a message to her ex-lovers emphasising that she has truly moved on. From this point on, the almost gargantuan synth melodies and high impact drum rhythms of tracks such as ‘Break the Rules’ and ‘Breaking Up’ places the album within an electro pop hotspot drawing likenesses to artists such as Marina and the Diamonds.
The release of John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars as a major motion picture last summer saw Charli provided with the opportunity to perform on the film’s soundtrack which in turn lead to the release of ‘Boom Clap’ and sending her into the UK Top 10.
Artist collaborations have become an extremely common feature within popular music and, after working with the likes of Iggy Azalea and Icona Pop, ‘Doing It (feat. Rita Ora)’ is yet another among many. However what defines the track and separating it from the multitude of these releases are the audacious lyrics of the chorus which hold a resounding attitude of defying roles and expectations whilst ‘all night long dancing to this song’ – something which connects with the internal desire to simply enjoy yourself within almost every listener. Then there is the addition of Ora’s vocals adds a more light-hearted tone to the track which provides a spirited contrast to the bolder XCX (not to mention enlarging the fanbases of both).
It can be arguably said that, as the album concludes, the rebellious quality both the lyrical and musical content previously displayed is somewhat lost. Concluding tracks such as ‘So Over You’, ‘Die Tonight’ and ‘Need Ur Love’ see a more stereotypical presentation of pop music with Charli drawing back her strong image of female empowerment and presenting more passé – but possibly true – perceptions of relationships and love. Perhaps there really is a limit to the amount of angst you can feel.
For me there are many highlights within the album as I myself can relate to the ideas of wanting to defy everything anyone tells you. In many ways when hearing the lyrics of songs such as ‘London Queen’ and ‘Famous’ I feel that Charli is describing many aspects of my personality whilst encapsulating them within a glorified story of fame and antagonism. This may be the reason as to the huge hype around XCX from both critics and fans. Her unruly nature is within all of us.
Rating: 7/10
Words by William Castile