Song 32 // Charli XCX - "Yuck"
Calling too much, you're breaking my phone
Mad when you do and sad when you don't
Chivalry, ooh, you taking my coat
Too cute, no, this ain't me now
Last week Charli XCX released her highly anticipated new album, CRASH. The roll out for the album started last September with the first single, “Good Ones.” During the following months, much of the discussion focused on Charli creating a “mainstream” pop album. While some fans accepted this new direction, others lamented that she was straying from the experimental and hyperpop vision from her previous works such as how i’m feeling now (2020), Pop 2 (2017), or the iconic Vroom, Vroom (2016) EP.
The reasoning behind Charli’s mainstream direction for CRASH comes back to her Atlantic Records label contract. CRASH serves as the fifth and final album that will release her from a contract she signed when she was only 16. It’s no secret that over the course of her decade-plus contract she’s had multiple frustrations and setbacks with Atlantic Records. So for her final album, Charli decided to lean heavily into all the resources available to her and create an album based on what it means to be a mainstream pop star. It’s also a study of the potential enjoyment of self-destruction as the title track explores (“I'm about to crash into the water, gonna take you with me / I'm high voltage, self-destructive, end it all so legendary”).
Yuck, now you got me blushin'
Cheeks so red when the blood starts rushing
Yuck, that boy's so mushy
Sending me flowers, I'm just tryna get lucky
Ultimately, Charli XCX succeeds in creating her version of a mainstream pop star, but it’s also important to note that this isn’t any typical mainstream pop star. This is still Charli XCX and the “mainstream” era in her career is very much in the likeness of what you would expect from an artist who brought hyperpop to the mainstream and has continued to push into her left-leaning pop status. While the number of guest features on this album are limited compared to her previous albums, the guest artists that do show up also highlight the type of mainstream pop star Charli wants to be. In the track, “New Shapes,” Charli teams up with the experimental pop artist Caroline Polachek and French pop star Christine and the Queens.
Her intense and close relationship with her fans, known as angels, have come with their highs and lows but there are few artists that cater so well to their fanbases. What other mainstream pop star would sell faux-leather paddles with heart imprints, one-hitters, or one up her fans with this so she never has to sign another one again?
CRASH is the culmination of years of experimentation and growth as an artist. There’s an ever present ‘80s framework to the album but it also dips into ‘90s dance such as the Robin S. sample in “Used To Know Me.”
Yuck, lookin' at me all sucky
Yuck, quit acting like a puppy
Fuck, going all lovey-dovey on me
The track, “Yuck,” stands out as a fun, bubblegum pop track. In part because it’s such a drastic change from the previous song in the album, “Every Rule” (an ‘80s inspired pop ballad produced with A.G. Cook). In her own words, it’s also “poptastic” and that succinctly describes the overall tone of the song. The lyrics bounce through the themes of being smothered, whether it’s already in the midst of a relationship or the beginning of one.
You got your hopеs high, thinking 'bout it most nights
Put me on a pedestal 'causе my love's incredible
Don't wait up for me
// press play
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