True Romance
A lush, melancholy blend of darkwave synths, cloud rap beats, and bedroom-pop intimacy. The blueprint for modern left-of-center electronic pop.
April 12, 2013 · Asylum Records
A lush, melancholy blend of darkwave synths, cloud rap beats, and bedroom-pop intimacy. The blueprint for modern left-of-center electronic pop.
April 12, 2013 · Asylum Records
Rain-slicked asphalt and neon-lit bedrooms bleed together in these heavy, slow-rolling beats. Thick darkwave synths wrap around bedroom-pop vocals, creating a hazy, late-night world where trip-hop meets teenage longing. You are listening to the raw, emotional blueprint of a pop rebel finding her footing in the shadows.
“Britney, she is not, but her collage of pop dreams, electro flash, and diary-rage lyrics could very well create a new generation of pop stars, one in which being a weirdo is a necessity”Read review
“Just how consistently catchy and personal True Romance is might raise a few eyebrows.”Read review
“The effect can be breathtaking, even when the pieces don’t cohere into memorable songs”Read review
“Part of the pack she may be, but Charli XCX proves she’s adventurous and unconventional enough to break out on her own”Read review
“There’s much to enjoy on True Romance, although it’s probably best sampled in small doses as it doesn’t hang together that successfully over the course of an album”Read review
“She’s the fun pop you don’t have to be embarrassed about listening to, and she’s definitely worth focusing your attention”Read review
“Her music is best consumed in blog-sized chunks, not as a stodgy 48-minute album”Read review
“Less an album than a highly cultivated showcase, featuring new compositions and XCX’s early attention grabbers”Read review
“The music on True Romance is almost incidental, a postscript to the larger brand, confirming that whoever "Charli XCX" actually is, she’s more product than artist”Read review
“Charli XCX stamps her personality across the entire project, and True Romance suggests she’ll be worth following for a while”Read review
“For now, True Romance is a valiant attempt that doesn’t do much more than provide the soundtrack for “getting ready to go out” songs on tinny laptop speakers”Read review
How does True Romance sound next to the rest of Charli xcx's catalogue?
The record swaps her signature metallic glitched-out textures for a rich analog warmth, relying on thick synth basslines and heavy, echoing drum machines to craft a dense and comforting neon fog.
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