"C,XOXO" by Camila Cabello
Camila Cabello's 4th solo studio album has a hard time ever really finding it's sonic identity, resulting in one of the weakest pop albums of the year.
Genre : Pop / Electronic Pop
Label : Geffen
Reviewed July 7, 2024
FINAL RATING: 3.2
Camila Cabello is back with her 4th solo studio album, a clear love letter to Miami and the culture surrounding it, but has a hard time ever really finding its footing. Jumping from hyper-pop elements in the lead single “I LUV IT” with an assist from Playboy Carti, to a more acoustic “Twentysomethings,” to a solo Drake song “Uuugly,” this album has a pretty wide range. This is likely the largest factor as to why the album never really feels, complete. Filled with autotune and distorted vocals, this album is a large departure from Camila’s previous project “Familia.” The album is concise, being a tight 14 tracks with a 32-minute runtime, yet it still just feels like a compilation of half-realized ideas and failed executions.
This whole era has had a clear attempt to be “camp” from the album cover, to the singles, to the promo cycle, everything is a desperate attempt to be “iconic” to the public eye. However, it’s this desperate attempt to cement the legacy of the album that leaves it with none at all. As of the time of writing, “C,XOXO” has debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart, a new low for Camila as her previous album debuted at 10, which is still a drop from her debut and sophomore albums which peaked at 1 and 3 respectively. The era is also left without a big hit, with the lead single “I LUV IT” only peaking at 81 and staying on the chart for just a week.
Something very interesting I saw in the preparation for this review is that Camila said she didn’t want to be seen as a “pop girly” anymore. I believe this inspired a much more experimental sound for the album, despite at its core still being a standard pop album with some electronic influences. The album is filled with features, bringing the likes of Drake (who has his uncredited solo song), City Girls (Yung Miami & JT), Lil Nas X, Playboy Carti, and surprise appearances from PinkPanthress and BLP KOSHER. This album is a desperate attempt to be “new,” which it achieves on its own but it doesn’t come across as forward-thinking as it’s being presented as.
The album opens with the lackluster lead single “I LUV IT” which highlights one of the biggest glaring issues with the record, just how inauthentic it feels, and if not that it’s a desperate failed attempt. This track is aimless, from the writing to the chorus to the useless Playboi Carti feature where I don’t even think he knows what he’s saying. This track is such a forced “moment,” which is why it isn’t one, not only was the track negatively reviewed by critics, but by fans alike, where was the charismatic quirky Camila from her sophomore album “Romance?”
It’s an incredible feat that a Lil Nas X collaboration is the best song on the record. This song has an interesting structure, and the opening sample draws you into a club-like scene, something that the incredible music video helped push that scene. Nas helps provide some variety to the song with a dark moody verse fit with UK drill adlibs. Again, the writing is aimless, and confusing at times, but the delivery makes up for it.
A big overarching issue with a lot of the tracks is the attempt at legendary status, which has a very Charli XCX tone to it. On that note, this record sounds nothing like “BRAT” aside from “I LUV IT.” Tracks like Chanel No.5, and especially the interlude “koshi xoxo” attempt to paint Camila in an extremely flattering light, but they do the opposite, especially “koshi xoxo.” These tracks come off as self-important, largely due to believing that you’re a legend when you’re only 4 albums in, none of which have left any real impact on culture. All of the interludes on the interlude are weak and thin, and add nothing to an album. The PinkPanthress produced “pink xoxo” sounds incredibly similar to the album track “The aisle” from her debut album, yet it has none of the charisma of it, it just sounds like a cosplay. The other interlude “305tilidie” is pointless, and would’ve worked much better as an album opener or closer.
The Drake collaboration isn’t awful if we exclude Drake from the track aside from the chorus. This track takes in another big component of Miami culture, the big Latin influence on the area. Drake’s odd Jamaican accent does nothing and comes off as silly. The track would been so much better if Drake only had one chorus and ad-libs on the chorus. The next track is a solo track for Drake, titled “Uuugly,” and all I have to ask is, why? Drake, as far as I know, has no ties to Miami, so why would a complete track dedicated to him serve any purpose? Why not highlight a small local artist, or a legendary act from the area to pay homage to the area, I mean, he’s Canadian.
Speaking of locals, the now split City Girls (Yung Miami and JT) are featured on another redeemable track, “Dade County Dreaming,” which has some pretty interesting production on it, with a somber piano over a fierce City Girls feature. The track makes use of its feature, and Camila doesn’t intrude, which is what should’ve been done on the Drake collaboration.
The final tracks all really go off the rails and destroy whatever chance this album had of just being another passable pop release. Almost all of the tracks have this odd auto-tuned vocals, which could be found in an earlier track “Chanel No.5,” but it serves no purpose, and it comes off as just being a cosplay of the hyper-pop thing she’s trying to do. The track “pretty when I cry” is somewhat of a redeemable track, but it’s stuck in a 2014-esq tropic-house beat, yet it doesn’t make me nostalgic for that time.
Overall, the album is simply ok, with few memorable tracks. The largest issue lies in Camila’s inability to decide to be an alternative or just another pop girl, and despite stating she doesn’t want to be a pop girl, she plays into it for the majority of the album. This rocky foundation leads to all the tracks, especially towards the end. Truthfully, the early middle part of the album isn’t atrocious, but the middling single choices and lack of sonic identity leave the listener wondering what could’ve been.
Here from music board! Yeah the album was a mess but at least it was interesting for Camilla. I would rather listen to C,XOXO than Romance for example. It’s a step in the right direction, but yes. Half realized.