ALBUM REVIEW: True Romance - Charli XCX

I can't even tell you how long I've been waiting for this album. Ok, yes I can...since August 11, 2012. A friend of mine invited me to see Coldplay on their Mylo Xyloto tour. I'm a fan of Coldplay, but when I saw that Marina and the Diamonds was opening I had to go. An unknown "Charli XCX" was opening for Marina and I had absolutely no idea who "he" was. Some guy that Jay-Z had mentioned? Oh, okay. Should be great.

...IT WAS SO GREAT.
I was immediately hooked and immediately wanted to hear more. Her (yes, her. I picked up on that pretty quickly) platform sneakers coupled with her crop top gave me mad Sporty Spice vibes...but more like if Sporty Spice was a raver. Absolutely insane in the best possible way. Being a completely unknown artist the crowd was, uh, less than enthusiastic but it's obvious that once you got her in a small venue instead of an area, shit would get wild. She's a really dynamic performer.

Since I live in the US I haven't been able to get a hold of a lot of her music so this album is a welcome arrival in my life. I pre-ordered it. Me. Pre-order. I don't think I've ever pre-ordered a CD in my life. That's how much I was looking forward to this album. So, the question is, did it live up to the hype I gave it? In short, 100% yes, absolutely. This album is one of the best I've heard in a long time. It's pop, grime, electronic, 90's, dance, and everything in-between.

I did a super scientific Twitter poll where one person responded so I'm going to follow their preference for a track-by-track review. 

1. Nuclear Seasons - 9/10

2. You (Ha Ha Ha) - 9/10

3. Take My Hand - 7/10

4. Stay Away - 8/10

5. Set Me Free - 9/10

6. Grins - 10/10

7. So Far Away - 8/10

8. Cloud Aura (feat. Brooke Candy) - 9/10

9. What I Like - 9/10

10. Black Roses -7/10

11. You’re the One -9/10

12. How Can I - 7/10

13. Lock You Up - 10/10

There isn't any sort of rhyme or reason to this scale so take these numbers with a grain of salt. Basically, Lock You Up and Grins are the stand-out tracks on this album to me. I could listen to them over and and over again (...I do). I'm struggling to find things to write about because there isn't a single bad track on the whole thing. These songs make me want to get up and dance, or at least get a little more daring with my fashion choices. Also, when listening I have had the sudden urge to throw a rave in a graveyard...a gRAVEyard if you will. Does that give you a better of idea of what this sounds like? No?  It really is a completely unique sound which is incredibly refreshing compared to a lot of junk that's been coming out lately.

If you're new to Charli XCX I would give some of these a preview on iTunes/Spotify/YouTube and see if you're into it. Especially Nuclear Seasons, You're the One and Stay Away, which are some of her more popular songs. I understand that she isn't everyone's cup of tea. When you add an electronic element to your music you're automatically isolating some people from your music. Now, I think people that don't like electronic music are crazy but that's only because I'm extremely biased and probably shouldn't be reviewing music in general. 

Give it a listen. Purchase if you like it (I think you will). And $9.99 for 13 tracks? Sounds good to me. Link!