Chart Review: 14th June 2024
Just what the doctor ordered this week - plenty of churn, and some really weird stuff in the mix to boot. Starting at (40) is Flex (UK) featuring the late Nate Dogg with “6 In The Morning”. You have to do a surprising amount of digging to figure out where the Nate sample comes from (it’s an unreleased vocal that was repurposed by SNBRN for “Gangsta Walk” in 2016). That research isn’t really worthwhile because this track’s basically piffle. The beat’s fine, the loop’s nice to listen to because it’s Nate Dogg. In the case of both Flex and SNBRN, I think it’s a bit out of order to suggest the song is “featuring” Nate Dogg - no one’s coming to the table if not for Nate, lads. A comment on YouTube suggests Flex (UK) is 17 years old. Fair play if so, I suppose.
Gracie Adams’ new one “Close To You” is at 35. I don’t particularly like this. Adams is doing the hushed, breathy voice that seems to be all the rage these days. The obvious point of comparison is Billie Eilish but the tone reminds me of someone else I can’t put my finger on. The chorus is pretty good - everything gets euphoric with a nice bouncy beat and the melody’s simple and catchy - but on the whole, it’s not for me. The lyrics are all over the shop, too. She says to the subject of the song “you don’t even know my name,” but then sings “Pull the trigger on the gun I have you when we met.” Pick one!
Re-entering the Top 40 off the back of her album’s success is Charli XCX with “360” (27). I like Brat a lot and I’m happy to see it’s been received pretty much rapturously. This is the first track, and while it’s not my favourite of the bunch, it’s a super encapsulation of the LP. It’s poppy, bouncy, braggadocious, embraces internet culture, friendship, etc. There’s plenty more to the album than that (the song weighing up motherhood is maybe my pick), but that individualistic, hard partying pop aesthetic is a key mood.
The battle for the #1 album has become a leetle spicy this week. Just as XCX seemed destined for the top spot, Taylor Swift launched another deluxe version of The Tortured Poets’ Department, which as I understand was available for a limited time only, that time being from release until the cut off for this week’s chart. Swift’s machinations have kept her sprawling LP in the pole position for another week, though she seems to be catching a bit of flak for this. “Cruel Summer” is back at (17), no doubt fuelled by her all-conquering UK tour. It’ll be interesting to see if any of TTPD’s cuts stand the test of time like this one has.
Raye’s new one “Genesis” is at (22). Hearing this on the radio, I thought it sounded pretty mad, far too restless, with a chorus they return to every once in a while but otherwise constantly shifting up in an unsettling fashion. It turns out this is actually a seven minute track in three parts. Firstly, the tune makes so much more sense in this format. It’s dramatic, gothic and maximalist but always foregrounding Raye’s distinctive and characterful voice. It covers a lot of heavy subject matter with relatability and a mixture of light and shade, which is Raye’s stock in trade. I don’t know that I’d pop it on too often, but it’s a proper artistic statement. Secondly, whoever’s cut the single version has done such a bad job of it. It really undersells an impressive bit of work.
Sabrina Carpenter has grabbed her second UK Top 10 in a year, with “Please Please Please” hitting (3). Dealing with the song on its own merits, I like this one a lot. The synths are deliciously twinkly, with nice ‘80s arpeggios, and the shuffle of the bass and drums is a little Tom Tom Club. It’s a pretty decent theme for a song, too - a woman asking her out-embarrassing boyfriend to just calm down. She’s obviously primed for the big, big time - there’s no doubt a lot of money is being bet on her - but she still peppers her songs with such bizarre choices and ideas. In the chorus she suddenly drops like two octaves to sing the word “motherfucker”. It also changes key in the middle for no reason whatsoever - I was hoping it would keep going up and up and up, but it doesn’t.
Loathe as I am to admit it, I can’t help being, if not invested, then at least intrigued by the gossipy side of Carpenter’s career. She’s going out with the overrated Irish actor Barry Keoghan, and many believe this song is about him. But it’s not one of those situations where you read into it and reshape the lyrics: she mentions that the subject is an actor, and comes from a culture which has a reputation for drinking (word is the Saltburn star isn’t averse to getting pissed and making a fool of himself). And then the cherry on the cake: he’s in the video, playing a tough guy criminal.
Reactions to the song seem to revolve around “here’s Sabrina putting Barry in his place,” but clearly this isn’t something you do unless you’re A) in a stable enough relationship and B) have discussed it with the other person first. The pair have sat down or been sat down and have decided to utilise the publicity all the way to the moon. I think it’ll do wonders for her. As for him, he seems to have split from the mother of his child basically the second he became an A-list (or near enough) actor, and appears to have gotten too excited and gone off the reservation. The jury’s out! Really like the song though.
“Houdini” marks another week at the top, but I think surely Carpenter’s going to take it back next time around. This thing’s already got almost 24 million hits on YouTube alone. Whatever the system’s doing to get her over, it’s working like gangbusters.
Pick of the week: Charli XCX - “360”
