“SUCKER” rules

Dressed in flared bell-bottom pants and a Luchador mask, Charlotte Aitchison, better known as Charli XCX, sensually mouths carefree lyrics for the video of her new single ‘Doing It.’ The 22-year-old Grammy-nominated artist, whose stage surname denotes “Kiss Charli Kiss,” released her sophomore album “Sucker” last December. Her new album is a triumphant expression of youth and the strength of femininity.

The title song, “Sucker,” is placed as the initial track, and its sound grows from a noisy abyss to a chorus of smearing profanities. Finding power in romantic rejection, the record opens on a powerful, corrosive note that sets the tone for a chaotic narrative of love and heartbreak.

Its punk-inspired, bass-heavy introduction makes sense considering the nature of the album’s conception. “I went to Stockholm and wrote loads of two-minute songs where I just sort of screamed into a microphone for ages,” Aitchinson said in an NPR interview with regards to her brainstorming process for “Sucker.”

Aitchison’s relentless energy endures as the track list wears on. “I don’t wanna go to school / I just wanna break the rules,” she jeers in “Break the Rules.” Characterized by a dark, electronic sound, the imagery in “Break the Rules” references all too familiar sentiments for American youth—cliques, dances, and yellow school buses—despite the fact that Aitchison has never attended an American high school.

Nevertheless, “Sucker” is full of apt references to American culture. The song “London Queen” discusses her struggle of retaining a British identity in Hollywood. Even though the track maintains slick production with prominent drum sounds, the words verge on obnoxious; at one point, the lyric “London queen” is shouted five times in succession.
Also puzzling is Aitchison’s decision to include her bubbly hit “Boom Clap” among the caustic derision of the record. While including her most successful single makes sense from a business standpoint, the themes in “Boom Clap” are altogether out of place, considering its poppy synths and positive lyrics about a girl who is hopelessly in love. The rest of “Sucker” celebrates breakups and partying, an argument to which “Boom Clap” does not belong.

The collaborative tracks on the album bring out the true star power of Charli XCX. Greg Kurstin, an instrumentalist who has previously worked with Beyoncé, produced the marvelous pop anthem “Famous,” an infectious song about crashing parties and living recklessly.

Aitchison also collaborated with singer Rita Ora for the British release of “Doing It,” a wise decision which adds vocal variety to the otherwise insular album. The video for the track—which received 2 million views on YouTube within 24 hours of release—displays outlandish fashion choices over a succulent R&B-inspired beat.

The variety of genre influences in “Sucker” indicates the versatility of Charli XCX. “I make pop music on my own terms,” the starlet said to NPR, a bold statement corroborated by the fact that Aitchison herself is the executive producer of “Sucker.”

And she executed it well. There is so much energy and wit packed into “Sucker” that at times it feels vampiric, managing to both intoxicate and exhaust anyone who dares to listen. Taken as a whole, listening to “Sucker” is like pulling an unforgettable all-nighter.