ALBUM REVIEW: Charli XCX "Sucker"

Charlotte Emma Aitchison a.k.a. Charli XCX dominated pop charts in the U.S. all last year. Now that we’ve had time to digest what her style and sound is, revisiting her second (but basically debut) album is a worthwhile endeavor.

‘Sucker’ dropped late last year and Charli XCX has been slowly releasing singles ever since. With in-your-face girl power lyrics and classic pop music patterns she has quickly become the newest pop punk vixen. And she does it all with a middle finger in the air.

1. Sucker

The first line of the first song on this album is, “FUCK YOU SUCKER.” Sucker being pronounced “sucka” due to her British accent of course. Bonus points to her for not Americanizing her voice to try to sell more records. This intro song is a nice electronic-y dance anthem to get listeners psyched for the rest of the album.

2. Break the Rules

This song is the first of many ‘classic’ songs on this record. Classic as in, there are a lot of songs that have similar themes, lyrics, etc. It comes with being a pop artist. This track is the ‘high school sucks’ song. It starts out with a school bell ringing which matches lyrically with what’s being said: she doesn’t want to go to school, she wants to break the rules. I really love the old school line that’s thrown in, “Going to the disco tech/ getting high and getting wrecked.” I think Charli XCX was the type who probably got kicked out of class quite frequently…

3. London Queen

‘London Queen’ is simply about her transition from Britain to America. She sings funny quips about driving on the wrong side of the road and former president John F. Kennedy. The beat on this sounds like early HelloGoodbye if they were manned by a British punk princess. It also reminds me of when Avril Lavigne came out with ‘Girlfriend‘ and everyone saw a new side to her.

4. Breaking Up

Another lyrically classic song, this one being the ‘boys suck’ song. She gets a little below the belt saying she hated her ex’s friends, family, band and tattoos. Yikes. This song leaves us wondering why she’d date him in the first place.

4. Gold Coins

‘Gold Coins’ isn’t far from what you probably expect it’s about. She sings about money raining down from the sky and living a lavish lifestyle, all while peppering the track with money jangling in the background. This song is my least favorite on the album, the song just isn’t ‘her.’ It sounds like we’re at a bad EDM concert or stuck in a broken arcade game and can’t get out.

5. Boom Clap

This has been Charli XCX’s biggest hit so far seeing as the song was part of the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack. The repetitive chorus on this track is catchy and not annoying like some of the others on this album. There’s a fine line but she succeeds here. This is also the only song on the album where she shows some depth which is why I think it’s her most popular song. “You are the light and I will follow/ You let me lose my shadow/ You are the sun the glowing halo/ And you keep burning me up with all of your love.”

6. Doing It

‘Doing It’ is the only collaboration on the album and it’s with fellow British songstress Rita Ora. Their voices mesh together really nicely but the song is nothing special. The lyrics make no sense. “Do it like we’re doing it,” what does that even mean? One good thing about this song is that the beat reminds me loosely of ‘Changes’ by Tupac/ ‘The Way It Is’ by Bruce Hornsby. Very cool old school homage.

7. Body Of My Own

This is my favorite song on the whole album. And not because it’s about masturbation. Yes, that’s right I said masturbation! It has the best beat on the album and the lyrics speak for themselves. “Yeah I can do it better when I’m all alone.” This is why Charli XCX is on her way to being the next Lily Allen. In the words of the Spice Girls: “Girl Power!”

8. Famous

This track is like Ke$ha singing over a Foster the People song. It’s all about crashing parties uninvited and falling down stairs and generally not giving a flying F about what people think. I can’t put my finger on what this track sounds like but it’s definitely close to another song I’ve heard before. Then again, lots of songs go, “oh oh oh oh ooohhh oh/ oh oh oh oh oooooooh oh.”

9. Hanging Around

This track was co-written by Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. I’ve loved Weezer my whole life but I hate their song ‘Beverly Hills.’ This song sounds like a clone of ‘Beverly Hills.’ Therefore I hate this song. The lyrics are so boring I turned the song off halfway through. There’s better tracks on this album, don’t waste your time. #disappointed

10. Die Tonight

This song is more in the vein of ‘Boom Clap’ where the repetitive chorus is catchy and not annoying. I can already see the music video now- kids running through a hotel, wreaking havoc, breaking down the door to the roof top where we see a beautiful lit up cityscape and everyone dances and laughs in the moonlight. The song is definitely a ‘movie song’ too. Preferably for a scene with a guy running down terminals looking for the love of his life before they get on an airplane. Cheesy but good.

11. Caught In The Middle

The only thing I can say about this track is that it has a lot going on. I can only find a live version to listen to online but it’s great. At first listen it has a smooth R&B vibe reminiscent of the late singer Aaliyah. Charli XCX echoes the word middle like in Aaliyah’s song ‘Rock the Boat.’ On second listen I feel like The Cure would have loved this dark, melodic beat back in the day. And lastly the chorus sounds a lot like Smallpool’s, ‘Dreaming’ which leaves me wondering what type of beautiful multi-genre music am I listening to?!

12. Need Ur Luv

‘Need Ur Luv’ is Charli XCX’s (most likely) next single. She performed it on David Letterman…while wearing Victorian lingerie…on top of a piano like a lounge singer. She’s with Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend and his influence in the music is obvious. The song is a small glimpse into Charli XCX’s softer side and it’s really not terrible.

If we look at the album as one whole story we go from “fuck you” to “I need your love.” People who put on the toughest exterior usually aren’t so tough on the inside. They just want to love and be loved- like everyone else. The themes on this album go from punchy and sweet to jazzy and crude. Charli XCX has a lot going on here and I don’t think she plans on stopping any time soon. 3.5/5

ALBUM REVIEW: Charli XCX "Sucker"