Tracks on Tap: December 26th (Charli XCX)

"Femmebot" by Charli XCX FT. Dorian Electra and Mykki Blanco

The first time I ever heard a Charli XCX song it was 2014. The song was “What I Like” off her debut album True Romance and I instantly thought that I will never be as cool as the girl singing this song. Flash forward to 2017 with “Femmebot” off her recent mixtape Pop 2 and I’m still thinking about how I will never be this cool.

Charli always sounds like she’s operating in another atmosphere far above the level that the rest of the world exists on. In many ways, the base of this song is classic pop 101, but layers of glitchy effects and two killer feature artists crank the song up and beyond any other pop song out now. Her music never fails to sound like a jam that time travelled back from a near future and “Femmebot” is here to tell us that the future is all about being a total badass and boss.

I have a not-so-secret thing for songs involving robots. You can refer to any conversation I’ve ever had about Daft Punk if you are skeptical. My love for robot rock aside, it does not surprise me at all that this song makes me want to short circuit along with Charli’s autotune-filled chorus. Such a well produced pop hook demands your body’s attention. So listen. And dance. And then do it again 5000 more times. And then pretend that you are Charli level cool.