absorption 004 – another (gay) opinion on charli xcx

keep it to yourself – love spells

this is a musical answer to the question: are men still yearning?

i’m most drawn to the songwriting where love spells tells his partner no, i’ll take the blame for their eventual downfall, even if no intimate details can be shared with curious bystanders. he even guards their relationship with pride telling us to worry about ourselves if we push our inquires too far. the music video paints this picture of pushing and pulling away from a relationship that shouldn’t work, but with sheer, white-knuckled will, any opportunity for breaking up is closed off. in the visuals, love spells dances his way to the door of his lover (very manakin-like tbh), declaring his love publicly for her knowing that people will be peering outside curious to see the finalé.

wink wink – charli xcx

idk why i’m so intrigued by this era of charli’s career since she’s by no means making the same waves as she was two summers ago. when i first read on instagram that this was going to be a rock album, i kinda rolled my eyes and kept scrolling because i knew a) this decision was likely not motivated by pure artistic expression and b) the “backlash” this genre choice created will only serve to benefit the rollout. are these songs quote unquote rock music? sure. the elements are there: guitars, steady drums, stepwise melodies—all with a tinge of glitched out production. but does it truly feel like an earnest attempt at Rock Music? i’m gonna have to say no.

i think that answer is rooted in my biggest gripe being the songwriting. because of her stardom, everything she talks about regarding fame feels a little… plain? ok that’s too harsh. let me try again. there’s only so much you can say about being provocative and giving into the desire to seek attention. she’s made statements on this exact thing professionally and within her art for the past couple of years now, but using rock music as the vehicle for this doesn’t seem exciting as it should be. everything is ironic with charli now. the glamour of it all seems to fit her well and i think that commentary she wants to verbalize via this project looks interesting on the surface, but in the context of her career and how she’s approached discussing her prominence previously, idk if it’s landing the way she wants. like why do i have to believe that she’s the new arbiter of coolness for the general western population? who even gets to decide how culture moves? is it something akin to a dynamical system? our individual opinions on celebrities end up moving like liquid across internet, with true delineations between who said what, attributions, and ownership become muddled beyond comprehension.

charli xcx is undoubtedly a cultural icon now. her words on music, fashion, and film are taken seriously by those with social capital. brat proved she has what it takes to handle the lofty responsibilities of being a pop star in the new(-ish) 21st century. she can stomach the surgical-like dissection of her body, music, relationships, and everything in between. the conviction was there the whole time. going from true romance to charli within the same decade is a feat her contemporaries could not have pulled off with the same resources. she can now ask prolific artists to pose for her album cover. they seemingly deem her worthy of their time, and whatever their opinion might honestly be, charli gets a tasteful stamp of approval by the mere presence of their likeness on her creative work.

deep end – josie

there’s not much i can say about this song other than i love the fact that josiah is releasing music on his own. while basically all anecdotal, i’m seeing a lot of band members branch out of their collectives and create a new artistic identity away from their long-time collaborators (e.g., not for radio, jon conway, etc.). one of the main reasons i was into greer’s music was because of josiah’s falsetto vocals and satisfying melodic choices, all of which are displayed on this single.

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more scattered likings – various artists

we lust life but god'll stay along 'fore they crush us it's one dice, you gotta use some charm and some structure and sometimes you gotta use the arm of your brother dumb pride, i learned to be the calm in the thunder and sunrise