Pitchfork critic reassess low rating for Charli XCX's Vroom Vroom EP
Music critic Laura Snapes expresses regret over her 2016 Pitchfork review of Charli XCX's ‘Vroom Vroom’:
“Charli was ahead of her time, leaving me gratefully eating her dust.” pic.twitter.com/bbQU6JNX8K
- Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 8, 2023
Context: Back in 2016, Laura Snapes listened and reviewed Charli's Vroom Vroom EP. She gave a low rating of 4.5 (Pitchfork's rating scale is 0-10 with some decimals). She initially dismissed it as "pointedly uncommercial and abrasive" and "ferociously trite".
It wasn't until seeing her live in 2019 that caused her to reassess her initial review:
"Where I once thought those asinine themes reduced her to a “vapid cypher”, now their commanding hauteur connected directly to Charli’s vulcanised stage presence. And by 2019, the general collapse of society brought a new appeal to a record that sounds like a pep rally on the edge of a black hole. I was relieved to boot some of my old self-seriousness into that void. And as ever, Charli was ahead of her time, leaving me gratefully eating her dust. Beep beep! Laura Snapes"
While looking for Laura's quote, I see that she overall did an article for The Guardian on music/albums she initially dismissed as now having a slow burn effect and nows appreciates them better.
Charli caught wind of this and responded on twitter:
this is why reviews are kind of silly in my opinion… like if the sway of culture and popular opinion is the thing that’s forcing a journalist to reconsider their review with hindsight then what’s the point of even reviewing in the first place? https://t.co/MEfazBzLtt
- Charli (@charli_xcx) June 8, 2023
but i will say - of course i felt hurt when vroom vroom got a 4. everyone says they don’t care but thats LIES. so thank you Laura for saying this, i do really appreciate it. https://t.co/MEfazBzLtt
- Charli (@charli_xcx) June 8, 2023
i think sometimes reviews are more about the culture or scene that surrounds an artist or the genre of music someone makes rather than the work itself - & it sort of produces this nervousness to be on the wrong side of culture or a fear to not be delivering the known “cool” take
- Charli (@charli_xcx) June 8, 2023
OP's note: While I agree with Charli's take on critics, I still do think some have their value in the industry. Cause while some are terrible, others have have championed some greats out there.
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