Charli XCX reviews new songs by Lady Gaga, Lil Uzi Vert, and ELIO
Charli XCX gives notes on three of the songs from this month’s edition of her Spotify playlist The Motherfucking Future.
Over the last few years, Charli XCX has made a reputation for herself as pop futurism’s arbiter of taste and style. Since the release of her Vroom Vroom EP in 2016, Charli’s records have proven themselves strangely prescient, platforming stars like SOPHIE and Kim Petras from their earliest days and pulling underground icons like Mykki Blanco and Yaeji into the mainstream.
A natural extension of these records is her monthly Spotify playlist, The Motherfucking Future. A platform for Charli to handpick songs she believes to be at pop’s forefront, the Motherfucking Future playlist has introduced scores of fans to likeminded artists like Slayyyter and Mallrat. Last week, Charli updated The Motherfucking Future to include songs by Rina Sawayama, Four Ten, ELIO, and more. Read why she picked a handful of the songs on this month’s edition of The Motherfucking Future below.
Lady Gaga, "Stupid Love"
Not that this song really needs any more promo, but I really feel the need to give my opinion on this, coz I think this is my favourite Gaga song in a while. Don’t get me wrong, she always slays her eras, but I gotta say I’m pretty happy to be back in the club with Gaga in a a full-on dance routine, Formichetti-collabing world!
First up, I think the typography on the single art is great: it really stands out to me and probably makes me love the song even more. I love a BloodPop drop, and I really hear it in this song. And I am OBSESSED with the pre-chorus. Anyone who listens to my music knows I’m a fan of a repetitive lyric, so for me, the repetition of “I freak out, I freak out, I freak out” is super satisfying, especially alongside that very satisfying topline. It’s my favourite bit of the song by far. I also love how she pronounces the word “love” in the line “all I ever wanted was LOVE." Tt’s led me to think that pronunciation is another form of hook in a song. I look forward to hearing that word every time the song plays.
Lil Uzi Vert, "That Way"
Honestly, I’ve been waiting for someone to use this Backstreet Boys hook for a while, and I’m really happy with how Lil Uzi did it in this song. It feels emotional and hard all at once. I really feel this song and the whole new album he put out. The beats are amazing, and feel sort of related to Pop 2 to me in some ways.
ELIO, "My Friends Online"
This song literally came out yesterday, but it feels very fitting with everything that’s going on right now. Aside from my boyfriend and one other friend, I am literally communicating to everyone I know via the internet or my phone. I keep wondering whether this is the future forever. I just feel like I really relate to this song at the moment. Plus I love the production. It’s on some 1975-type wave, which I love. Anyways, this song feels quite zeitgeist-y to me.