Username: vayyiqra

Album: Pop 2: A great album (mixtapes aren't real [joke]) that took me a while to get into, not because of finding it inaccessible (I love weird takes on synthpop) but ... I don't even know. Resistance to the hype it was getting? See, I used to be kind of bitter about how all the attention and praise Charli's music got after 2016 when she began her hyperpop era, as a former diehard stan of her *True Romance* era. But now I'm over it and see that this is one of her best works and even though sometimes I feel like she needs to be told "more features isn't always more better and there is such a thing as a chorus that is too repetitive", damn the hooks on this are good and the production on this is outstanding. (Shoutout to A.G. Cook, dude rocks.) As well, Charli's lyrics sometimes feel empty when they're just "lol cars and partying", but this album isn't all like that - there is some real emotion here. While as I wasn't that big on it at first, this is a project that does deserve a lot of respect for what it achieved and the influence it had. Having said that, if you like Charli I beg you at least give her debut a chance, it's good! But this was a step she needed to take to get her career on track after her planned third album didn't pan out, and it paid off.

Backseat: 10 What a good intro to this album. Ambient metal-scraping sounds have got to be one of my favourite music aesthetics. What I love is when songs can capture a very specific vibe incredibly well, and this song nails the vibe of being in a vehicle (doesn't have to be a car, could be anything) at night, staring out the window, lost in your thoughts ... love that feeling. Of course Carly's hook is wonderful too; this whole song is just ear candy.

Out Of My Head: 10 A song that's hovering in between "this seems weirdly controversial to me" and "yeah okay I get it". The chorus is *very* repetitive, and I have my issues with Charli's sudden pivot towards "more repetitive = more better" songwriting from 2016-onward (uh ... about that score for I Got It that I gave ...). As well I didn't care for Alma's raspy vocals, and can't help but think Tove's feature was a bit wasted. However I love the instrumental to this so much, those little stabs of synth especially, that it grew on me and now I think it's underrated.

Lucky: 10 One of the biggest draws of *Pop 2* to me, much as the energetic songs are fun, is how it has this ambient feeling to it (as I said of "Backseat", and many of you love about "Track 10") which meshes well with its electronic sound. I get this song has next to no drums and is slow, and it brings the energy down a lot, so this song may be boring. However the vocals are beautiful with the layering and harmonizing (I don't know much about singing so pretend I do). It's the slower approach to hyperpop that you hear on Hannah Diamond's music which may not go off in the pit at a concert but on the album it's a nice moment.

Tears: 8 Yeah we know, Caroline's screeching like she's being strangled to death is maybe not to everyone's taste and seems like a love-it-or-hate-it thing. As a not-that-big enjoyer of her music (I wish I liked it more), she is a very good singer, and one wonders if that was the best use of her here. However the chorus to this is great with Charli's vocals over those synth arpeggios.

I Got It: 1 Yeah ... I'm well aware that this is a fan favourite and so I'm singling myself out here (be sweet to me) but I can't get past my longrunning visceral dislike of this song. First of all, it has my old foe, Brooke Candy. While I like the idea of Brooke and her appearance in the video for Grimes' "Genesis" is kind of cool, my first time running into her musically was on "Cloud Aura" from True Romance, where she delivers a truly godawful verse that I feel is far worse than either of the much-derided features by Jay Park and Tommy Cash. I tried her debut album, but did not like much of anything about that either. [This is all aside from her infamous opening line to the song, which I guess doesn't help.] Aside from that, CupcakKe does have some memorable one-liners in her verse and I like Pabllo's verse just fine, but the Achilles heel of this song is that I can't stand the chorus and find it *super* obnoxious. Given that I hardly ever listen to this song when playing the album, and the last time I saw Charli live (2019) I used this song in her set as a convenient time to go to the bathroom, I think it's fair to say I do not like it ... so I feel bad for tanking my album average for this, but I cannot help that I simply don't like this song lol.

Femmebot: 10 As a big sci-fi enjoyer, these kind of goofy-but-charming lyrics appeal to the dork in the me. Dorian is also an underrated artist (*Flamboyant* is good!) whose voice I like the sound of, and the anthemic chorus (listen to those keyboards!) tickles my brain cells just the right way. Mykki's verse is the perfect mix of silly and fun and won me over right away with the shoutout to *Ghost in the Shell*, as well as the thudding electronic drums and Daft Punk-esque vocoder. Another nice touch is one of my favourite moments in the song, when the beat cuts out and Charli's vocals stutter a bit before the last chorus. One of the best tracks on the album for sure.

Delicious: 7 There's a good chorus on this by Charli, which I don't think is talked about enough, because we can't seem to get over talking about Tommy Cash's verse with his bizarre lyrics and heavy accent. Having heard his solo music (my friend loves it) his voice is not my thing, but still his lyrics here are silly enough to get away with it. Also, who doesn't love the subtle troll moment with the "Boom Clap" sample? (A song that's a 10, by the way.) I can't hate on his part too much when Charli has a line as awful as "switch it up, bipolar".

Unlock It: 10 Another song that fills me with the warm fuzzies with its chorus being a case where Charli's "more repetitive = more better" approach works well. The pitched-up vocals and "beautiful" sample add another nice touch. Another "elephant in the room" moment, but do you all really hate the Jay Park verse that much? I don't get it. It's so in one ear and out the other for me, barely notice it's even there. It's so inoffensive to me. Also shoutout to Kim for saying "maraschino" right.

Porsche: 8 An underwhelming collab at first, given MØ is an old favourite of mine (was heavily into her debut album in 2014-15) and as well I don't quite get Charli's fascination with cars and her need to work them into so many songs. It's grown on me though and even though its placing in the tracklist is kind of weird with the whiplash between this and the song after it, it's at worst "pretty alright". The way MØ's voice almost cracks when she hits high notes is musical ASMR to me as well. Maybe underrated song!

Track 10: 10 [Recycled comment from the Cyberpop rate I hosted on Popheads that I have edited to show how I have Learned and Grown] Without a doubt the song I struggled over my score the most in this rate ... "agonized" is a better word for it. After all the hype this song gets, the first time I heard it I was so ... whelmed. Yes it's an amazingly *made* song, but you have to understand I'm old :tm: and grew up on weird experimental glitchy stuff like *Kid A* and *Wish You Were Here*, so this doesn't have the same "wow factor". It's a bold sound Charli had never done before, [redacted statement about the lyrics being weak I no longer fully stand by]. I do really like the synths behind the first chorus, that's a great moment, but then the arpeggios near the end (yes I know that's a favourite part for many of you) feels like it's trying so hard to be bombastic. It's like this song is telling me "hey you! feel emotions! right now!". So I respect what a masterwork this is in production, but can't say I have ever had a strong bond with it. [Redacted comment about Cyberpop scores that is no longer relevant] I do love those chirping samples like birdsong and plucking on the harp though. [Update: I have raised my score for it in this rate out of respect, again for what a masterfully made song this is, even though I still feel like I don't quite connect with it the way some do ... but it would be a tasteful winner.]

Album: OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES: I'm so glad that at last I get this album. For the longest time I thought it was overhyped and just kind of okay, a little too abrasive, maybe a bit pretentious. Wrong! It is the opposite of pretentious, because it is incredibly sincere. Sophie just wanted to show us her true self, and that's what she did. I won't write any essays here because I think that's more for her bigger stans to say, who she meant more to on a personal level. But I do like the themes on this album of self-expression and authenticity and the futuristic, almost cyberpunk vibes as well. Sophie was an incredibly talented musician and we're lucky we got to hear her music. Now that she's gone, it's sad of course, but I try to think about how much she did with her life and how important she was. Idk I'm rambling and I'll stop but the point is I understand now why so many here loved her.

It's Okay To Cry: 11 :hanawinsCries: One of the easiest 11s I've had in a while, this song is so moving and beautiful. Both the context behind the song being that it's about Sophie opening up and showing herself to the world with this album (which is why she uses her real voice for the first time, a great touch) and then also the message of the song being very important to me. Repressing your emotions is bad! yet I do it all the time anyway despite knowing it's bad because you know gender roles and stuff, it's dumb. So I love that Sophie made this song telling all her listeners that no, it's okay to feel stuff, and also telling that to herself. I know there are other songs on this album that are more fun but this is the most beautiful. Rest in peace Sophie, you were one of a kind.

Ponyboy: 10 And then of course lol @ the whiplash going into this song. I remember finding out what a ponyboy (well a ponygirl, but whatever) was at the tender age of about 14 when I randomly saw one of those vaguely exploitative reality shows with a concept like "my strange addiction", and the episode was about a woman who roleplays as one 24/7. Not many things faze me at my age, so when I saw the title of this for the first time I just kind of lolled. Anyway it does go pretty hard. I have no clue why it's here or what it has to do with the rest of the album but it is one of the best-produced tracks.

Faceshopping: 10 Great song! Horrifying video! I have a deep-seated fear of warped faces! But great song! Love it!

Is It Cold In The Water?: 8 I like this song but think that it won't do well, since it's more uh ... ambient isn't right but I can't think of a better word so that will have to do. Abstract. idk i'm tired you get the idea. It doesn't go anywhere, but it's neat.

Infatuation: 9 I like this a lot but have to admit it doesn't really go anywhere [Edit: I have, since writing this comment originally, Learned and Grown and Healed and can see how utterly beautiful this is, :imthankful:]

Not Okay: 6 Uhh I can't tell if I like this. I like the synths but that ridiculously distorted bass is too much and then there's another of my pet peeves (very repetitive vocals).so this is just kind of annoying in the end. Thankfully it's short or otherwise I would tank it a lot more. I like the clangy sounds at least.

Pretending: 6 Okay here is an ambient piece that is, in fact, ambient. Forget what I said about "Is It Cold in the Water?", it's not really ambient. This is. Ironically this also gives me way more of an underwater (or just around water in some way idk) feeling than that song does. It goes on about two minutes longer than I want it to and gets weird and creepy, but up to then I like it fine.

Immaterial: 10 Yeah I know, basic take, fun uptempo bop good. But this is a very good song idc! Gets you pumped and makes you think about how gender binaries are constructed! Pretty awesome.

Whole New World/Pretend World: 10 Can this song defeat longsongphobia! Doubtful! However it does go extremely hard, and I love multipart songs, so fuck it I'm 10ing it. The second part is kind of weird, but also I love ambient stuff, so whatever. It's surreal and psychedelic. What is it about? Idk! Maybe no one does. But it sure is cool.

Album: 1000 gecs: [Comments from old ballot mostly recycled because little has changed] Yes, these scores look like sabotage. This isn't just me hating on this album and bashing it, trust me - I simply don't like it. I don't want to hate it. I've heard it many times, trying to see why anyone would like it, but all I can come up with is that they like the "chaotic" and frenetic energy it has and its abrasiveness. I don't like chaotic or abrasive things at all, and so this feels like a bad prank, like it was meant to be a parody of popular music but it's not funny. It makes me roll my eyes, like "how droll". It's catchy music, I will say that, but that's the only thing I like about this mess of an album. I tried, really. Since I last rated it, my feelings have not changed. In fact, I gave it a slightly better score this time. I hope this convinces you that I am sincere and my scores are legitimate and I just do not like this band at all. gecgecgecgec

745 sticky: 1 This album beginning with screeching sounds that get on my nerves was not a good omen in hindsight and oh god I hate that breakdown. I almost raised the score until that part came on and I flinched. I hate this. It is literally making me feel nausea. Kurp me sitting through this again willingly is a sign of goodwill and true friendship, please believe me. I am Trying.

money machine: 1 [comment excised] One time I wrote a long shitpost on Discord to a friend who is now gone from there about how this song is an endorsement of anarchism and the abolition of money but re-reading it doesn't feel funny anymore, just makes me sad. I miss you, Jenny, and I hope you are well. Anyway I really dislike this song and its shrill vocals. I don't even find the opening funny. I want to Get It ... truly I do.

800db cloud: 1 This is obnoxious + that snare drum sounds like shit tune it please + that breakdown at the end is unbearable.

I Need Help Immediately: 0 Not even a song, just some pointless noodling; it's awful. This sounds like me and my brothers fucking around with my dad's Casio synth as kids and randomly mashing keys and thinking it's funny. It's not, it's just aggravating.

stupid horse: 2 A very obnoxious song, I know it's a fan favourite but it makes me feel so aggravated I want to explode inside. The ska part especially, one of the most annoying things I've heard in my life for reasons that are almost ineffable and cannot be put into words. The chorus is alright though. I am trying my best.

xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx: 4 The lleast bad song on this I guess; I even like it at times. The intro weirdly sounds almost like this one Chromatics song until the high-pitched vocals come in (?! insane take but). "It's bearable!" - glowing review of 100 gecs song by u/vayyiqra standards

ringtone: 2 The first minute of this is fun and cute and my favourite part of the album (seriously) and then the rest is just boring and awful. The remix is a little better, because Charli and KKB are on it. I wish it kept up the cutesy energy, because I seriously would've given it a fairly high score (!). Really. The outro is just so unbearable (please no more distorted vocals I don't care if it's a "pleb filter" or whatever it makes my eyes water).

gecgecgec: 1 The "gecgecgecgec" memey part is kind of funny but the rest sucks. It's experimental, sure, but not all experiments are a success. It's musical gibberish. Again there's the "mashing random buttons on an old Casio" vibe, and a horrible-sounding snare that rivals St. Anger, and then a bunch of random snippets for the rest. Stupid.

hand crushed by a mallet: 1 I hate the title to this so it puts me off the song a lot, which is maybe irrational I admit, but also I don't like the song either. By this point I am always ready for this album to end. I hate the vocals, the distorted bass, everything about this. I am making myself listen to it anyway because it's the right thing to do.

gec 2 Ü: 2 I like the breakbeat intro to this. If the whole album had been more like this, I might've liked it but then the awful screechy ending ruins it. Oh well :pensive: Deep sigh. No hate to the Gecs themselves, not at all.. But this album fills me with rage. It truly does. I'm sorry.

Album: food house: After hearing comparisons between this and Gecs my hopes are not high, plus having heard Frax' solo music before and strongly disliking it I'm not expecting much but am giving it a fair try anyway. I really hate that bored-sounding droney disaffected kind of vocal style that Frax does. Gupi is a good producer, I think? I have little to say about this. If you read my comments on Gecs you know my gripes with this kind of hyperpop: too much distortion (especially on vocals but also that "speakers blown out" kind of bass, and annoying snare drum sounds), tuneless and flat singing, screechy noises, and this pretentious air of irony and boredom that feels so terminally-online somehow. Maybe I could've tried harder to Engage With The Material but I've heard enough of this subgenre or style or whatever to know I don't like it at all. The cutesy PC music kind of hyperpop like early Hannah Diamond I do like, and I can get into the slightly more abrasive cuts by Sophie too, but this (is it digicore? idk) I cannot stand. Hearing me complain about it can't be that interesting so I'll try to keep quiet as much as I can. [Update: mission failed, I didn't like it and wrote a bunch of comments anyway. :( sorry]

sole: 3

ride: 1 Do not pop Adderall please, as someone with ADHD myself. The black market in stimulants only makes it harder for those of us who need them to get them! Irresponsible. Find another recreational drug.

8 now: 3 I might kind of hate this but can't disagree about the Twitter thing. "Everybody is so trolled" yes I do feel trolled by this album! Good bit, Food House. You got me.

51129: 2 Oh I see you have to take drugs to like this album. The outro is not bad at least?

one you know: 1 This is ASMR from hell. It is Satanic and evil.

mos thoser: 1 Look Frax, it's nothing personal. I do not wish to infringe on your freedoms in any way, I really don't. Keep doing your thing. I support that. I just don't like your music.

curses: 1.5 Edgy stuff not my thing! But working in the Latin was a nice touch.

clown nose: 3 Lyrics not my idea of good praxis, I'll pass. Song is bearable.

pharmacy: 1 Wait this isn't Alvvays

metal: 1 This is obnoxious, huh. So anyway, I pick up a lot of vibe from this album of that whole "edgy leftist" thing on Twitter, something I dislike. It's not my scene at all. (Not that I want to defend Reagan either of course, dude was a shitlord.) Anyway deep sigh, I did not need to hear Food House's take on metal but am gamely making myself listen anyway. It's the right thing to do.

foresight: 4 I did it, Kurp. For you. I made it through Food House - this is six minutes?! Oh well. Let's do this. Well I hated the first four minutes but I like the Y2K electronic part at the end and I'm grateful that Frax apologized for being taxing. Really appreciate that, very good of them.

BONUS TRACKS

1﹕15: 2 Some of the worst-sounding drums and one of the worst interpolations I've heard in a while.

Beautiful: 8 Ah, I miss this kind of hyperpop. The nostalgia! Good times. Shoutout again to A.G., dude rocks.

Savage: 10 Yes, I am an evangelist for Aespa. :sickos: No really I think they're a great group when they're "on" (so, more or less everything but the *Girls* mini) and don't get why they're so polarizing. But then, you saw what I did to the last two albums, so fair enough.

glittr: 7 beepboop

LEGEND: 6 ALG is very funny at times and makes great music sometimes too. This I do not enjoy a whole lot, not my style, but I support both of them.

deepfake: 1 Simply unbearable.

Boing Beat: 2 I like Danny Harle as a producer and he seems like a cool guy, but I kind of hated this album. The trance-like synths are good but the vocals are so annoying they ruin the song for me.

Ram It Down: 1 I like *Flamboyant* but yeah sorry Dorian enjoyers I do not like this project at all.

movinglikeazombie - remix: 3 That's a lot of featured artists on one track. It's okayish but the length is unearned.

Poison: 1 In hindsight GFOTY, though she has some bangers, was the harbinger of some of the most annoying trends in hyperpop today.

Concrete Angel: 9 Controversial winner! It's extremely well-made but have to say it's not my favourite song on *Reflections*, which I like a lot. Pretty good though.

your clothes:

Finish Him: 8 Don't care for the lyrics but like the song a lot idk

from paris, with love: 1 I beg no more flat bored-sounding vocals or maximalist distorted production in hyperpop I hate this so much.

Crumbs: 9 Was expecting this to be meh honestly but this is good.

Over This!: 3 I used to like Slayyyter but everything she's done after her mixtape I haven't cared for idk. Is this 90s alt meets hyperpop? I don't like it much.

Taco Bell: 5 lol why

Spoiled little brat: 4 Oh no pop-punk

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