Saint Laurent: Charli xcx, Amy Shark, Rose Gray

Does having limitless resources when making art...make the art worse? Alex poses this question in the monologue this week. He talks about seeing the Carol Bove exhibition at the Guggenheim recently, where she used about 6 materials total in her work that spans decades. Sometimes limits create genius. Is it necessary to impose the same kind in music? Alex and Jana have a chat about it. They also need a drink: \---------- SAINT LAURENT Play on a Champs-Elysees - 2oz pisco - .5oz fennel liqueur - .75oz lime juice - .5oz lavender simple syrup - muddled cucumber - 1 dash ango - Garnish with cucumber \---------- Charli xcx's *Music, Fashion, Film* is finally out and we are talking "Persona." It's lyrically dense, and Charli shines when she's writing about her relationship to fame and relationships to other pop stars. "Sometimes I wonder how you come across," indeed. Charli is making pop music about a problem that maybe 10 people on the planet have, but she makes it complex and introspective. Plus, she's shifting into a very distorted rock sound mixed with hyperpop with this record, away from the poppier sounds of *brat*. There's lots of fuzz, OTT crunch, and Auto-Tune used as an instrument, and overall it's an interesting direction to follow up such a monumental piece of work like *brat*. Next up, Amy Shark is keeping Jana's record of choosing Australians for the pod in fine form. The Biggest Dick, from her new release *Soft Pop*, is a glorious acoustic folk-pop jam. Palm-muted guitars, a sticky acoustic baritone riff on repeat, and a sing-songy almost nursery rhymed chorus makes the hook "fell in love with the biggest dick" land really well. It's wordy and confessional in the Taylor/Gracie way, but wholly Amy (who had a hit with "Adore" from Schitt's Creek). The way Amy sings "D-ick" is so satisfying. Take a listen and sing along. Lastly, UK-based Rose Gray brings us "Just Be Bodies." Vocal chops galore start us off and we are here for them. They're percussive, they're melodic, they work well. There's very interesting panning happening on the chops, too. The bass is almost atonal and simple but keeps everything moving. There's a vocal leap from the 1 to the 6 which is unique for pop vocals. They lean into the theme of pure human desire to be with someone. It's sensual and driving, a club song, but also polite and charming. Such a win of a combo. The chorus drops a lot of the elements out and opens up wide into the hook, "Before we talk ourselves to death, can we just be bodies?" Feels real good. As always, thanks for listening! Please tell your friends, subscribe, and review us on your favorite pod platforms! \---------- **Alex's links:** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerboying TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flowerboying Alex's Substack: https://alexanderdaoust.substack.com **Jana's links:** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janapochop Website: http://www.janapochop.com Jana's Substack: https://janapochop.substack.com