Issue 42: A Charli XCX family tree
Issue 42: A Charli XCX family tree
A spotlight on Charli XCX, her latest album, and the albums that influenced her artistry.
Welcome back to Band Practice where I’ve been working hard (and a little longer than planned) on a super special issue for you. This week, I’m excited to shine a spotlight on Charli XCX in a unique way. It has been just over a month since her album, Brat, was released and its influence has been seismic. “Brat Girl Summer” has been declared far and wide, with the album cover’s Pantone® 3570-C green (which has come to be known as “Brat Green”) popping up everywhere. Not to mention, the album has become the 16th-highest-rated album of all time, according to Metacritic. To put it simply, Charli XCX *is* the moment.
But her huge success didn’t happen overnight. Charli XCX (born Charlotte Aitchison) has been making music since she was 14 when she would upload her self-produced tracks to Myspace (back in 2008). Not only has she released six studio albums and several mixtapes, but she has penned songs for several artists from Iggy Azalea to Blondie—most well-known for her collaboration with Icona Pop, “I Love It” (you’ve probably heard it).
Charli XCX has been a pioneer and appointed queen of the microgenre “hyperpop” (a label she hates), which can be described simply as experimental electronic pop. Her artistry is propelled by innovation and collaboration, with a deep understanding of pop music history. There is no better artist to showcase the pop music of “now,” and no better link to its past.
This makes Charli XCX the perfect candidate for a “family tree” issue—a format I debuted earlier this year (you may remember the one I did for Little Simz). First, we’ll look at her roots: three artists that influenced her artistry and an album from each—sharing some of her words about them and then my own. Then, we’ll dive into my thoughts on Brat followed by a brief overview of the branches of the Charli XCX tree—her contemporaries and collaborators—giving shout-outs to a few artists you should listen to if you like Charli XCX. And, of course, I included a playlist at the end of the issue featuring each artist mentioned in the family tree, along with some Charli XCX tracks that feel referential.
My hope is that if you don’t know Charli XCX’s music, the other featured artists will inspire you to listen to her. Or, if you’re already a fan, you’ll find more music to enjoy.
[Before we proceed, a quick note that this email may get cut off for Gmail users due to file size (rest assured, it’s about a 10 minute read, but whatevs Gmail). If you have any issues, click the “view in browser” link at the top of the page.]
Ok, ready, fellow genealogists? Let’s get started!
The roots: influential artists
(Charli’s words are in block quotes.)
Kate Bush — The Sensual World
Progressive pop [Released in 1989]
The album 'The Sensual World' is one of the records that defines me. I think the album artwork is amazing—it's one of my favorite album artworks ever. She’s smelling the rose, she’s got the rose in front of her face, and I think it’s so beautiful. I just love the production of that whole record, the way that her vocals sound. Everything about it is so dreamy. I think my favorite song on it is ‘Heads We're Dancing.’1
Every few years a Kate Bush song is rediscovered and goes viral—a testament to the timelessness of her music. Her music has the intelligence and poeticism that makes English Lit majors swoon, carried by a voice that is equal parts enchanting and chilling.2 In listening to the glitchy, exuberant catalog of Charli XCX, it may seem that Bush’s influence is a stretch, but when you get to The Sensual World’s fifth track “Heads We’re Dancing,” everything makes sense.3 The sound has a clear electronic influence with synths and guitars that could have easily been ripped from Prince. And while Charli XCX’s admiration for the album’s cover seems inconsequential, it highlights the most important link between the two artists—romanticism.
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Siouxsie and the Banshees — Superstition
Post-punk/new wave/alternative pop [Released in 1991]
Charli XCX’s words on Siouxsie Sioux (of Siouxsie and the Banshees) are brief and limited, but if you google the two of them you’ll get loads of results from early critics comparing the artists. “Madonna mixed with Siouxsie Sioux” comes up a lot. While Charli XCX scoffs at the Madonna comparison, she has happily declared Siouxsie her hero.4 True pioneers, Siouxsie and the Banshees smashed through the bounds of punk with Siouxsie’s bat-out-of-hell gusto and experimental sound, ushering in the post-punk era in the late 1970s. One of their last albums, Superstition, is the product of their well-oiled post-punk machine. Screeching guitars, abundant synths, kaleidoscopic percussion, and Siouxie’s feral growls are still present while making way for a softer, poppier side of their catalog. Although there are threads back to their aesthetic on some of Charli XCX’s albums (see: Sucker for pop-punk leanings), it is Siouxsie’s attitude and ferocity that seems to be embedded in her DNA—a strong lineage of bad bitch energy.5
[Note on the album recommendation: I chose Superstition as there are stylistic parallels to Charli XCX’s early music, particularly between its lead single “Kiss Them For Me” and Charli XCX’s “You’re the One.”]
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Britney Spears — Blackout
Pop [Released in 2007]
I've always been a huge fan of Britney. When I was younger, I was obsessed with all of the first two records, and when [Blackout] came out, it was the first time a lot of my friends became fans too. This was the first time that Britney had become globally cool. The sound of this record was so fresh to me — she went with some really interesting producers on that record, and the combination of all of it was pretty next level. I remember thinking that the songs felt very ahead of their time. They could still be on the radio now.6
Britney Spears is an expected influence for any pop artist of today. (If you read my formative albums issue, she helped shape my music taste, as well.) But, for an artist like Charli XCX, Blackout isn’t just an influence, it’s a blueprint. Spears took many risks with this album, from its tabloid-addressing songwriting to its production. It was also the only album she executive produced. She worked with producers like Danja and Bloodshy & Avant to craft a sound both new to her and the pop music landscape—gritty and intricate electropop that, at times, almost overwhelmed her vocals. Charli XCX credits one of its lead singles, the “Piece of Me,” as one of her favorite songs, calling it genius. (I wouldn’t say that’s an overstatement—it is a masterful matrix of jangle-crunch percussion, synthesizer throbs, and vocal distortion.) Genius begets genius, as Charli XCX shares Spears’ penchant for risk-taking and breaking new ground.
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
For more influences see: Spice Girls, Bikini Kill, The Knife
Charli XCX’s latest album
Brat
Electronic/dance/pop [Released 6/7/24]
I don’t know if I have ever been so excited for an album’s release. In the months leading up to it, I listened to Brat’s pre-released singles on repeat trying to imagine what might be filling the blanks between them. When I heard the whole thing, it was more than I could have hoped. Listening to it was like a release. The thrill of those first bubbling synths in the opening track, “360” is how I imagine a top-down convertible ride in Ibiza would feel. Wind through the hair, music maxed out on the speakers, yelling, “I'm everywhere, I'm so Julia ah-ah, ah.”
Brat is a full-circle moment for Charli XCX. An artist who started out in the London rave scene in her teens, she finds herself back in the club—this time an older, wiser, and more self-assured version of her younger self, but still a “365 party girl.” From MySpace to mastering her craft, she is finally getting the widespread recognition she deserves. Everything has been leading to this.
You could have a lot of fun listening to the album without noticing its depth. Brat contains some of Charli XCX’s most vulnerable songwriting to date, while still being danceable. She sings about mourning a friend, questioning fitness for motherhood, and deep insecurities intersposed between doses of “brat” attitude. It possesses an authentic spirit of dancing one minute and crying the next and sometimes doing both at the same time—not for a second caring about being “too much.”
Brat is also the most club-ready of Charli XCX’s albums with plenty of glitchy, distorted vocals, pitch-shifted synths, and immaculate beat drops. The bandsaw screech paired with tectonic bass in “Von Dutch” broke my brain in the best way and is one of the sickest sounds I have heard in a track this year. It strikes a perfect balance between big thumping numbers and introspective pop—the inner workings of Charli XCX’s mind exploded into prismatic shards to bless the masses.
Brat is not only the culmination of Charli XCX’s catalog but of the artists’ before her. The attitude of Siouxsie Sioux, the romanticism of Kate Bush, and the fearless risk-taking of Britney Spears are all present. She has distilled their essence and her own into a neon-packaged paragon of new club classics that will influence a new pop generation. Simply put, Brat is the new blueprint.
Tracks on repeat: Honestly, this album is a “keep the whole thing on repeat,” no skip album, but if you listen to only three tracks, let it be 360, Von Dutch, and So I
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
The branches: contemporaries and collaborators
If you like Charli XCX, listen to…
A.G. Cook — Producer and founder of PC Music
Once dubbed “the godfather of hyperpop,” and founder of its supposed birthplace (record label PC Music), A.G. Cook has been a recurring collaborator with Charli XCX, producing several of her albums, including Brat. He has also worked with artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, Caroline Polachek, and, most notably, Beyoncé. His music can be categorized by 1990s aesthetics, energetic club beats, and the seeming ability to mix textures and sounds via machete and nuclear fusion. Listen to his latest (triple!) album, Britpop, which features a Charli XCX cameo.
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
SOPHIE — Producer, Songwriter
If Charli XCX is hyperpop’s queen and Cook its godfather, Sophie was inarguably its heart. Pop and electronic music owe much to the late Sophie—an innovator and connector of the two worlds—who passed away in a tragic accident in 2021. Caroline Polachek, St. Vincent, A.G. Cook, and now Charli XCX have paid tribute to Sophie through song (my favorite being Brat’s “So I”). A posthumous “nearly-finished” album is slated to be released in September, which I look forward to. In the meantime, I suggest diving into the beauty that is Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, which was nominated for a Grammy Award as best dance/electronic album.
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Rina Sawayama — Singer, Songwriter
Despite the drama between them, Rina Sawayama is a pop star in the Charli XCX universe worth knowing. She is a sought-after collaborator, most recently teaming up with Empress Of and salute (both of their songs are featured on my summer playlist). She lends her divaesque voice to an eclectic and sometimes wacky blend of pop, rock, and electronic music. Her eponymous album, SAWAYAMA, throws delightful curveballs like the disco-tinged “Comme Des Garçons” and a nod to gospel music in “Bad Friend.” And there’s the must-listen “XS” which calls to mind Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” (I put it on this issue’s playlist).7
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
100 gecs — Musical duo
Nothing puts the “hyper” in hyperpop like 100 gecs, who would be better categorized as hyper-everything—pulling from genres like pop-punk, rap, and ska. Both A.G. Cook and Charli XCX have collaborated with them on remixes, but their sound is all their own. Their maximalist button-mashing, kitchen sink approach is sometimes chaotic, often humorous, and always surprising. Start with their critically acclaimed album from last year, 10,000 gecs which, when I first listened, felt like too many gecs. But, after relistens, it swayed me with its zany, Red-Bull-bingeing charm.
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
For more contemporaries see: Caroline Polachek, Troye Sivan, Flume
A Charli XCX family tree playlist
Want to dip your toes into the Charli XCX multiverse? I created a playlist of songs from each artist featured in this issue. The first half reflects her influences paired with songs of hers that seem referential in sound or lyric. The second half highlights her contemporaries, with a few collaborative songs in the mix. The Spotify and Apple Music versions are linked below.
Charli XCX family tree - Apple Music
Charli XCX family tree - Spotify
Coming up
In the next issue, I’ll be sharing more favorites from June, and, let me tell you, it has been hard to narrow down the best of the best (but it will likely be narrower and quicker than this issue). Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!
[If you missed the previous issue, Summer Playlists, you can find that here. I fixed the “Cool Shade” playlist Apple Music link, which you can also find here.]
I love hearing what you have to say! If you have feelings about this issue, questions for me, album recommendations, or any other thoughts, send them my way by leaving a comment or replying to this email. You can also reach me at bandpracticenewsletter@gmail.com
'Cause I ride for you, Charli…
One of my favorite books, James Joyce’s Ulysses, partly inspired the title track.
However, don’t try to make any lyrical comparisons as “Heads We’re Dancing” is about accidentally dancing with Hitler.
Charli XCX put together a short-lived all-female punk rock band, Nasty Cherry, in 2019.
My favorite Sawayama song “Love It If We Made It” (a cover of a song by the 1975) has been scrubbed from streaming services—possibly due to her beef with lead singer Matty Healy, who is an ass and the subject of many of Taylor Swifts scathing breakup songs in TTPD.
Fuck yeah, Siouxsie! Also...you FINISHED Ulysses???
??????
I got a hundred pages in and put it back on the shelf forever.
What a fun read!!