“I’m so bored,” Charli XCX flatly states before launching into an auto-tuned, robotic whoop on the song “Anthems.” It’s one of the many electro and high-voltage bangers presented in her latest album, how i’m feeling now, a collection of songs Charli created in just 38 days while under quarantine. Accepting beats, cover art edits, and title suggestions from friends and fans alike, how i’m feeling now is an impressive result of what can come out of boredom, collaboration, and creativity during a time of uncertainty. 

Just like how many are feeling while on lockdown, the album is pulsing with manic energy, desperate to break out of confinement. “I just wanna go real hard for days, I just wanna feel in different ways, every single night kinda feels the same,” Charli rapidly sings on “Pink Diamond,” an epic and blaring introduction to the album.

The songs don’t just focus on Charli’s stir-craziness. The British pop star also uses the album to muse on her relationship with her boyfriend (and quarantine partner) of seven years. “You love me even when I hate myself,” she mumbles in a sea of auto-tune and synths. 

The album is far from perfect. It’s messy, impatient, and tumultuous—but that’s the point. In all its imperfection it manages to capture the mindset of most of the world. It also speaks to Charli XCX’s creativity and tenacity as a pop artist; a hopeful and exciting vision of what she’ll continue bringing to the table. 

Best Track: “Anthems”

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