Boy, does this girl know how to write a pop song! i shouldn’t (but i love you) is Charli Lucas’s second EP and I’m obsessed!
Taking us on a journey through the ups and downs of dating, the earlier tracks of the EP navigate those common uncertainties we’ve all faced – trying to decide whether to walk away from someone or stay and the realisation that the person you’re dating isn’t as great as you first thought (Really Good Song, How to: Ruin Everything), whereas (but I love you) closes the EP with the story of that fateful post-break up conversation, where you’re sitting across the table from that person that’s both so familiar, yet so different.
Cool is the one track that doesn’t fit the mould thematically – focusing on the ways someone changes after they become famous. I’m not sure if this track is based on an experience Charli had or if it’s a doom-laden reminder to herself of what could happen if she loses her roots during the course of her career; the common fear that becoming a ‘celebrity’ will utterly change you.
The tracks are very on the nose storytelling. There’s nuance but no layers of mystery or deeply hidden meanings. And I think that’s the beauty of working on the edges of that pop music space. The music itself wraps whatever you’re saying in this light little bubble that instantly diffuses the heaviness, leaving a little more freedom to say exactly what you mean without needing to worry too much about how it hits emotionally.
Not only is Charli an excellent lyricist, she also intuitively understands how to weave these words into a song so they really hit, whether it’s the melody lightly dancing across the top of the track in Really Good Song, or the little moments of sonic variation she uses to drop those key lyrics. It could be a hip-hop inspired pause in the instrumental track to drop a memorable line or layering up the vocals at precise moments to ensure they hit your ears differently, but it’s like she instinctively knows that she either needs the melody to catch everyone’s ears or she needs to use a change up to draw in the listener’s attention. “oh my god it’s a tragedy” in FKN embarrassing is a prime example and it’s crying out to be turned into a meme or tiktok trending sound bite. It’s very, very clever songwriting.
Second EPs or albums are difficult, yet Charli has made it look so easy with i shouldn’t (but i love you). Blending excellent composition with a clear theme has resulted in a wonderful release for this up-and-comer. It’s hard to see a trajectory where she doesn’t continue to take off from here!
Find out more about Charli here.
Listen to i shouldn’t (but i love you) here.