Charli is making an album in quarantine, which is a far better use of time than what Madonna is doing, though whether it beats comrade Britney I’m not so sure. She also headlined a Minecraft concert just the other day, which was certainly a unique experience.
She has wasted no time in getting this off the ground, Forever was a banger with A.G Cook (Of PC Music) taking on production and it seems sitting indoors all day did not take away from either the lyrical or the instrumental quality staying at the level heard throughout her last album while also adding the edge found on the mix tapes before it. In this Dylan Brady takes the reins on production, mostly known for his work in the experimental electronic duo 100 Gecs and now a staple in left field pop and rap. The production is nothing less than exceptional though it does feel closer to what you would hear from the likes of SOPHIE with metallic snares and heavy, bouncy and distorted single hit 808’s. The fast arpeggiated synths have a sharp tone and are pretty much iconic to the micro scene that is PC Music and along with constant little additional details it creates a gorgeously detailed instrumental for what is an exceptional piece of pop.
The lyrics? Its Charli to a tee and with a constant repeated ‘I like everything about you’ motif, it uses auto tune heavily as a melodic tool, a constant for Dylan Brady, and goes through the usual Charli checklist of vehicles, sex and an annoyingly catchy chorus. But do the lyrics really matter here? Are we here to critique the lyrical quality of pop? It’s not the solemn lyrical genius of A Crow Looked At Me, but you’re not here for that. You’re here for a delectable banger that only Charli can make and you’re not bothered that the song is called Claws even though it has literally nothing to do with the lyrical content of the song, it sounds cool and that’s all that matters. Neither are you bothered that it’s only 2:29 long as you’ve repeated it 30 times already.
I must commend Charli for the sheer effort, bringing in fans to make artwork and doing polls for song names. I would hope to hear this in all the clubs, if they were open that is. Instead I will have to deal with my Minecraft concerts and prepare for a large influx of banger’s from an eclectic suite of producers over the next month as she proves again and again why she is one of the most interesting figures in the pop scene today.
If I didn’t convince you, then it’s only 2:30 long and what else do you have to do now?
