Editor’s Note: Welcome to Quarantainment, Vanyaland’s new series on what to watch, what to hear, and how to deal as the world engages in social distancing to combat the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19. We’re all at home, we’re all online, and we’re all in this together. #StayTheFHome
Every day for the past few weeks, Charli XCX has let us into her world of self-isolation through social media. Utilizing Zoom and Instagram, she recently announced that on May 15 we’d be getting a new album titled how i’m feeling now, created entirely with a DIY mindset while under quarantine. “For me, staying positive goes hand in hand with staying creative,” she wrote, “and so that’s why I’ve decided I’m going to use this isolation time to make a brand new album from scratch.”
Yesterday (April 9), we got the first blast of the new LP in “Forever,” a beautifully damaged and distorted love song that suggests how i’m feeling now might be her best work since 2014’s Sucker. It just has that spark. Listen to it below.
The new single also comes with various artwork, a trio of variants on the selected image created by Caroline Polachek, Hunx and His Punks’ Seth Bogart, and Regards Coupables. “I’m such a fangirl of all three artists and to collaborate on artwork like this is a new experience for me,” Charli shares. “I like the idea that the visual language for this project can be interpreted by however someone feels towards the music. The music and the emotions that are generated guide the creative output and anything is possible.”
Choose your favorite design after the audio jump.