How I'm Feeling Now
| How I'm Feeling Now | ||||
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| Released | 15 May 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2017 ("party 4 u" first version); 6 April – 8 May 2020 | |||
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| Length | 37:00 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Charli XCX chronology | ||||
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| Singles from How I'm Feeling Now | ||||
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How I'm Feeling Now (stylized in all caps on physical releases, in all lowercase on streaming services)[1] is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released on 15 May 2020. Coming eight months after her previous LP Charli (2019), the album was conceived during the COVID-19 lockdown and made in a "do it yourself" collaborative process with her fans in the span of six weeks. Charli XCX, A. G. Cook and BJ Burton served as the album's executive producers.[2]
How I'm Feeling Now was preceded by the singles "Forever", "Claws" and "I Finally Understand" which were met with positive reviews from critics. The album received critical acclaim, and was noted for its fusion of pop songwriting and experimental electronic production. It was shortlisted for the 2020 Mercury Prize.[3]
Background[]
On 13 September 2019, Charli XCX released her third studio album Charli. To celebrate the one month anniversary of Charli, Charli XCX announced that the album would not receive a deluxe edition and that she already began work on a new project.[4] Soon after, on 24 November 2019, Charli XCX announced on Twitter that she was planning to record two new albums in 2020, with plans to release both by 2021.[5] On 18 March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Charli XCX began a self-isolating livestream series featuring artists such as Diplo, Clairo and Rita Ora.[6]
| External video | |
|---|---|
 "How I'm Feeling Now" Announcement Zoom, via YouTube |
On 6 April 2020, Charli XCX announced through a public Zoom call with fans that she would be working on a new album in self-isolation, with the tentative title How I'm Feeling Now.[7] In the call, Charli XCX stated "The nature of this album is going to be very indicative of the times just because I'm only going to be able to use the tools I have at my fingertips to create all music, artwork, videos everything."[7] The entire project would be collaborative with her fans, using Zoom calls to share demos and text conversations with producers and ask fan input on single releases, song ideas, and artwork.[8] She also said in the stream that A. G. Cook and BJ Burton were among the people she was working with.[9] During the Zoom announcement, Charli XCX set a release date of 15 May 2020.[7][8]
On 30 April 2020, Charli XCX announced on Twitter the song titles that were currently considered for the track list and that the yet unreleased fan-favorite "Party 4 U" would be on the album as well.[10] The full tracklist and album cover were revealed on 13 May 2020, prior to the album's release.
Musical style[]
An electronic pop,[11] experimental pop[12][13] and hyperpop album,[14][15] How I'm Feeling Now is a continuation of the signature sound Charli XCX has specialized in since the 2016 release of EP Vroom Vroom, in which she embraced the futuristic pop music of Sophie and other musicians related to the PC Music label,[16][12][17] a style that has been variously referred to as "bubblegum bass" and as the previously mentioned "hyper-pop".[18][19][20][21] Kitty Empire of The Guardian described the album's music as "acrylic, outre, influencer club-pop," which "aggressively foregrounds its own artifice."[22] Variety's Jem Aswad characterised the production as "a shape-shifting mesh of shimmering synthesizers, driving bass, hard beats, swarms of voices and crashing mechanical sounds."[12] Although it is characterised as a formal album, critics have noted that How I'm Feeling Now is closer in style to her 2017 mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, as it is looser and more experimental than her self-titled album.[12][23] Charli XCX herself has described the album as "Pop 2's frantic emo younger sister."[24] Writing for Paste, Austin Jones felt: "Though the glitchy sound art and experimental edges of Pop 2 are missed, Charli deftly revives the techniques of the ’90s Eurotrance scene that proved formative for her musical development."[25]
Singles[]
On 7 April 2020, Charli shared snippets of a song called "Forever" on social media. On 9 April 2020, she announced that "Forever" would be released as the lead single off the album at 11:30 PM PST and premiere on the BBC Radio 1 with Annie Mac podcast. "Forever"'s official artwork was created by American artist Seth Bogart. Two additional artworks were also released for "Forever", by French artist Regards Coupables and American singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek, respectively.[26][27] The official music video for "Forever", featuring clips sent in from fans, was released on 17 April 2020.[28]
On 11 April 2020 she announced that she had chosen the next single, to be titled either "Claws" or "I Like".[29] On 14 April 2020 she announced that she had settled on "Claws" as the song title.[30] The official music video for "Claws" was remotely directed and edited by Charlotte Rutherford, and featured Aitchison's boyfriend Huck Kwong. It premiered on 1 May 2020.[31]
On 2 May 2020, Charli unveiled that she would release a third single before the album release titled "I Finally Understand" the following week.[32] It premiered on 7 May 2020.[33]
On the day of the album's release, "Enemy" was released as a promotional single from the album.[34]
Critical reception[]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10[37] |
| Metacritic | 82/100[36] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Clash | 9/10[38] |
| Crack | 8/10[39] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [40] |
| DIY | [41] |
| The Guardian | [22] |
| The Independent | [23] |
| NME | [17] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10[42] |
| The Times | [43] |
How I'm Feeling Now was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 16 reviews.[36]
Neil McCormick gave the album a perfect 5-star rating in his review for The Daily Telegraph, opining that it "has a directness, immediacy and intimacy that has eluded her before,"[40] while The Fader's Salvatore Maicki called it "indisputably cohesive and honest" in its exploration of emotional extremes.[44] Hannah Mylrea of NME called it a "glorious, experimental collection" and praised Aitchison's "knack for a killer pop hook" despite the "crunching production."[17] Similarly, Clash journalist Megan Warrender commended her "futuristic, unpredictable sound and penchant for an irresistible pop hook" as well as her display of "tenderness and vulnerability."[38] Tom Hull gave the album a B-plus and said that recording at home due to quarantine "doesn't allow her the usual kitchen sink pop production, but she cranks the synths up loud enough it doesn't matter."[45]
The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2020, losing to Michael Kiwanuka's Kiwanuka.[46][47]
Rankings[]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard | Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | N/A | |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 18
|
|
| Crack | The Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 9
|
[50] |
| Exclaim! | 33 Best Albums of 2020 So Far | 22
|
|
| Gigwise | The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020 | 30
|
|
| Gorilla vs. Bear | Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2020 | 24
|
|
| The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 33
|
|
| The Line of Best Fit | The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked | 3
|
|
| NME | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 24
|
|
| NPR | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 50
|
|
| Paste | Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 20
|
|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 48
|
|
| The Quietus | Quietus Albums Of The Year 2020 | 71
|
|
| Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | N/A | |
| Stereogum | Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 8
|
|
| The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 19
|
||
| Uproxx | The Best Albums of 2020 So Far | 14
|
|
| The Best Albums of 2020 | 28
|
Commercial performance[]
How I'm Feeling Now debuted at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, moving 2,145 units.[66]
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pink Diamond" |
|
| 2:04 |
| 2. | "Forever" |
|
| 4:03 |
| 3. | "Claws" |
| Brady | 2:29 |
| 4. | "7 Years" |
|
| 3:15 |
| 5. | "Detonate" |
|
| 3:39 |
| 6. | "Enemy" |
| Burton | 3:43 |
| 7. | "I Finally Understand" |
|
| 2:31 |
| 8. | "C2.0" |
| Cook | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Party 4 U" |
| Cook | 4:56 |
| 10. | "Anthems" |
|
| 2:51 |
| 11. | "Visions" |
|
| 3:49 |
| Total length: | 37:00 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] indicates an additional producer.
- "C2.0" incorporates lyrics from "Click".
- All track titles are stylised in all lowercase letters.
Personnel[]
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[67]
Musicians
- Charlotte Aitchison – all vocals
- A. G. Cook – drum programming (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7–9, 11), synthesizers (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–9, 11), programming (2), xylophone (2), bass (7), drums (7), additional drum and synthesizer programming (7), background vocals (9)
- Dijon – drum programming and synthesizers (1)
- BJ Burton – drum programming (2, 4, 6, 10, 11), synthesizers (2, 4, 6, 10, 11), Moog (5), bass (6), drums (6)
- Dylan Brady – bass (3), drum programming (3, 8), drums (3), synthesizers (3), softsynths (8), harsh noise (8)
- Eli Teplin – keyboards (6)
- Jim-E Stack – Roland JV-1080 (6)
- Benjamin Keating – background vocals, bass, drum programming, drums, synthesizer (7)
- Kim Petras – additional vocals (8)
- Jaan Umru – bass, drum programming, synth sound design, "vibes" (8)
Technical
- Charlotte Aitchison – executive production, recording (all tracks), engineering (1, 2, 4–10)
- BJ Burton – executive production, engineering (3, 11), vocal production (1, 3, 5, 6, 11)
- A. G. Cook – executive production, engineering (9), vocal production (5, 7, 11)
- Stuart Hawkes – mastering
- Geoff Swan – mixing
- Niko Battistini – assistant mix engineering
- Dylan Brady – vocal production (3)
- Benjamin Keating – vocal production (7)
- Jaan Umru – vocal processing (8)
Charts[]
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[68] | 37 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[69] | 106 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[70] | 100 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[71] | 27 |
| Japan Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[72] | 82 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[73] | 64 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[74] | 40 |
| Norwegian Vinyl Albums (VG-lista)[75] | 27 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[76] | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[77] | 33 |
| US Billboard 200[78] | 111 |
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 15 May 2020 | ||
| 18 September 2020 | LP, CD[79] |
Vinyl Release[]
How I'm Feeling Now was released in two variants: neon yellow,[80] and neon orange,[81] the yellow pressing was initially limited to 1,000 pressings then later expanded to a total of 3,000.
Although sharing the same album cover and barcode, they have a secondary barcode in the form of a sticker on the outside of the clear plastic covering the album cover with a different code, and each variant has a different hype sticker indicating which pressing it is.
References[]
- ^ "how i'm feeling now". Apple Music. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Charli XCX - "i finally understand"". Stereogum. 7 May 2020. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Mercury Prize 2020 Shortlist: Charli XCX, Laura Marling, Dua Lipa, More". Pitchfork. 23 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Cerys Kenneally (14 October 2020). "Charli XCX reveals she's started working on her next album". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Cerys Kenneally (25 November 2020). "Charli XCX reveals she wants to release two albums in 2020". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Gil Kaufman (18 March 2020). "Charli XCX Launches 'Self-Isolating' Livestream Series With Rita Ora, Diplo, Clairo and More Pals". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Aniftos, Rania (6 April 2020). "Charli XCX Will Express 'How I'm Feeling Now' in Upcoming Self-Isolated Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Shaffer, Claire (6 April 2020). "Charli XCX Announces 'DIY' Quarantine Album 'How I'm Feeling Now'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "Charli XCX - "How I'm Feeling Now" Announcement Zoom". YouTube. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ Charli (30 April 2020). "update: these are the song titles in the mix for the album: forever, claws, party4u, detonate, enemy, 7 years, anthem, pictures in my mind, pink diamond, i finally understand. there's also other tracks i still love that I haven't written over just yet..." @charli_xcx. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Phares, Heather. "how i'm feeling now - Charli XCX". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Aswad, Jem (14 May 2020). "Charli XCX's 'How I'm Feeling Now': Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Larocca, Callie Ahlgrim, Courteney. "Charli XCX's 'How I'm Feeling Now' is a masterclass in experimental pop for the genre-less generation". Insider.
- ^ Pritchard, Will (17 December 2020). "Hyperpop or overhyped? The rise of 2020's most maximal sound". The Independent. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Pritchard, Will (17 December 2020). "Charli XCX's 'How I'm Feeling Now' is a masterclass in experimental pop for the genre-less generation". Independent.
- ^ Garvey, Meaghan (13 May 2020). "Of Course Charli XCX Invented the Quarantine Album". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Mylrea, Hannah (15 May 2020). "Charli XCX – 'How I'm Feeling Now' review: lockdown album is an anxiety-fuelled trip". NME. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Picard, Lewis (3 October 2014). "Bubblegum Bass, an Introduction to". The Bubble. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Bubblegum Bass Starter Pack". WRVU. 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Bulut, Selim (20 December 2019). "The history of PC Music, the most exhilarating record label of the 2010s". Dazed. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Frankel, Emile (25 October 2019). Hearing the Cloud: Can Music Help Reimagine The Future?. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 9781785358395. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Empire, Kitty (16 May 2020). "Charli XCX: How I'm Feeling Now review – truly a work of its time". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Pollard, Alexandra (15 May 2020). "Charli XCX review, How I'm Feeling Now: A brash, adventurous lockdown album". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "#howimfeelingnow is pop 2's frantic emo younger sister". Charli XCX on Twitter. 17 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Jones, Austin (19 May 2020). "Charli XCX Dances Proudly Into Vulnerable New Territory on how i'm feeling now". Paste. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ @charli_xcx (9 April 2020). "