I missed out on Brat Summer due to what I’d call the soft bigotry of my own low expectations for pop music and the fact that I spent most of my spring and summer chasing Otoboke Beaver around the middle of the US. The ONLY reason Charli got into my earholes is because I’ve been a Shygirl fan by way of Mura Masa for years now, so Spotify essentially waved “365” right in my face. And I was floored.
Then I remembered the viewing the “Guess” music video with Billie Eilish - my first thought was that the track is an undeniably perfect girl-power anthem disguised as pop confection, and the music video… holy shit. Perfectly executed, insanely fun… and then I dismissed it as pop and forgot about it until the colab with Shygirl popped up.
I’ve spent most of my life hunting down and championing music that I think is criminally ignored, but what I’m missing in that pursuit sometimes is the good and great stuff that pop has to offer. I’ve known Billie Eilish is a fucking genius for years now, but I haven’t allowed myself the indulgence of *really* letting her music in. Why would I write about her? Everyone knows her name. I assumed the same about Charlie XCX but everything I’ve been listening to by her in my overnight crash course has been knocking me on my ass.
Hyperpop? Never heard of it. I just assumed it was called “that South London sound” or something.
This essay of yours, like my recent Charli obsession, is teaching me that I have so much left to learn and I guess that’s what I love about being in love with music; it never stops surprising me, challenging me, expanding my mind. It never lets me down and it never ends.
I really enjoyed your piece, thanks for writing it. 💖
Hi Jeff, thanks so much for your comment! I also feel your drive to hunt down underrated music (I also love Shygirl and I'm so glad she's getting more traction due to Charli and the remix album). What's fun about pop is that you can often find a broader cultural trend going on at the moment (with Brat, you could even say that this is celebrating a return to partying as we're finally a few years out from COVID lockdowns). So while everyone might know that artist's name, there's still a lot to say and digest about what they represent.
Since you're just now getting into Charli, I gotta say "how i'm feeling now" is her best album. It's vulnerable, it's edgy, and it really embodies the hyperpop subgenre. I would also highly recommend SOPHIE, who has unfortunately passed away but had a big influence on Charli xcx and hyperpop.
Thanks for sharing! Your comment reminded me of why I started this blog. Music always pushes me to learn, feel, and think in new ways, which is why I love writing about it. I'm glad others feel the same way.
I love hyperpop as well and glad she brought some of it back on this album. U nailed it with as soon as something something is genuinely trendy someone wants to sell us something. The monent corporate gets a hold of a trend thats how it dies
It’s such a tricky balance and I’m still grappling with how that makes me feel… why does something becoming trendy matter so much to me? Should I let it go and have fun while it lasts, or reject it and try something else?
Aging rocker and newly-minted Charli fan here.
I missed out on Brat Summer due to what I’d call the soft bigotry of my own low expectations for pop music and the fact that I spent most of my spring and summer chasing Otoboke Beaver around the middle of the US. The ONLY reason Charli got into my earholes is because I’ve been a Shygirl fan by way of Mura Masa for years now, so Spotify essentially waved “365” right in my face. And I was floored.
Then I remembered the viewing the “Guess” music video with Billie Eilish - my first thought was that the track is an undeniably perfect girl-power anthem disguised as pop confection, and the music video… holy shit. Perfectly executed, insanely fun… and then I dismissed it as pop and forgot about it until the colab with Shygirl popped up.
I’ve spent most of my life hunting down and championing music that I think is criminally ignored, but what I’m missing in that pursuit sometimes is the good and great stuff that pop has to offer. I’ve known Billie Eilish is a fucking genius for years now, but I haven’t allowed myself the indulgence of *really* letting her music in. Why would I write about her? Everyone knows her name. I assumed the same about Charlie XCX but everything I’ve been listening to by her in my overnight crash course has been knocking me on my ass.
Hyperpop? Never heard of it. I just assumed it was called “that South London sound” or something.
This essay of yours, like my recent Charli obsession, is teaching me that I have so much left to learn and I guess that’s what I love about being in love with music; it never stops surprising me, challenging me, expanding my mind. It never lets me down and it never ends.
I really enjoyed your piece, thanks for writing it. 💖
Hi Jeff, thanks so much for your comment! I also feel your drive to hunt down underrated music (I also love Shygirl and I'm so glad she's getting more traction due to Charli and the remix album). What's fun about pop is that you can often find a broader cultural trend going on at the moment (with Brat, you could even say that this is celebrating a return to partying as we're finally a few years out from COVID lockdowns). So while everyone might know that artist's name, there's still a lot to say and digest about what they represent.
Since you're just now getting into Charli, I gotta say "how i'm feeling now" is her best album. It's vulnerable, it's edgy, and it really embodies the hyperpop subgenre. I would also highly recommend SOPHIE, who has unfortunately passed away but had a big influence on Charli xcx and hyperpop.
Thanks for sharing! Your comment reminded me of why I started this blog. Music always pushes me to learn, feel, and think in new ways, which is why I love writing about it. I'm glad others feel the same way.
I love hyperpop as well and glad she brought some of it back on this album. U nailed it with as soon as something something is genuinely trendy someone wants to sell us something. The monent corporate gets a hold of a trend thats how it dies
It’s such a tricky balance and I’m still grappling with how that makes me feel… why does something becoming trendy matter so much to me? Should I let it go and have fun while it lasts, or reject it and try something else?
Much to think about 🙂