Song 01 // Charli XCX - "anthems"
I get existential and so strange
I hear no sounds when I'm shouting
I just wanna go to parties
Up high, wanna feel the heat from all the bodies
It’s Charli, baby, X-C-X.
The heat, the sweat, the mass of bodies moving in harmony under the glitching bass and strobe lights. This song is all the pent up emotions of living under quarantine ready to rupture out from the moment you press play.
The song starts with swift and jagged electronic soundscapes before hailing to an abrupt pause. As quick as it was to burst open, the temporary standstill lets Charli’s synthesized vocals declare our collective feelings:
I’m so bored
Three words to utter our longing for anything, for some feeling that we are still alive. The yearning of not only the party, but also the afterparty. The future hopes of not having to be six feet apart from friends and strangers alike.
“anthems” is track 10 of Charli’s quarantine album, “how i’m feeling now” (the first to be made by a major artist). An intense work of productivity with a strict, self-imposed deadline. The result is one of the best albums released this year.
How I’m feeling now is the same as Charli. As the chorus kicks in, so does the intensity.
I want anthems
Late nights, my friends, New York
I sleep, wanna wake up brand new
I sleep, wanna wake up with you (you)
While for some the desire for late nights and parties may seem superfluous, the song is a desperate cry for a return to normalcy — even if it’s only for one night. A chance to feel the adrenaline of being alive and unrestricted by the boundaries of our bleak realities.
So turn off all the lights and play this song loud and dream of getting to the show at midnight, surrounded by a roomful of strangers dancing together. This won’t be the last time I feature Charli XCX but it is the first song for your mixtape.
// press play