Holds together far better than her “official” label effort.

Charli shies away from extremes.

Beneath her music's glossy sheen lies the rebellious, determined spirit of someone who needed to fight for her space

It’s hard to think of another recent pop album that writhes, squirms and splinters like this one.

[xrr rating=3.5/5]It’s unusual for an international star to get their fame as a feature artist rather than from their own material, but that’s how British pop singer Charli XCX came into the public eye. Of her three biggest songs — “Boom Clap,” “I Love It,” and “Fancy” — only one is actually hers; while the others, credited to Icona Pop …

[xrr rating=2.75/5]Hertfordshire, England’s 20-year-old Charli XCX is the latest to release an album falling under the umbrella of female post-pop dark wave detached indietronic synthcore or whatever combination of buzz/core/wave words you want to throw in front of an artist because you have no other idea how to explain that they’re making pop music that doesn’t necessarily target a pop …