C,XOXO by Camila Cabello

Back at it again

Six years ago, I wrote about Camila Cabello’s self-titled debut album - my first album analysis on this site - and now I’m reviewing her fourth album C,XOXO. I was particularly excited for this one because Camila is one of my three favorite female artists alongside Charli xcx and Doja Cat. All of her previous albums are still some of my favorites because they’re full of plain great pop songs (“Inside Out”, “In The Dark”, “Liar”) and songs with unique sounds or vocal qualities (“Living Proof”, “Shameless”, “Psychofreak”). Further fueling my expectations is the fact that 2024 has thus far proved to be a truly incredible year for top-tier music, with Fred Again..’s USB, Charli xcx’s BRAT, and AG Cook’s Britpop.

Those last two albums I mentioned, BRAT and Britpop, are important reasons for my anticipation of C,XOXO; in 2024 I’ve been massively into hyperpop. While I’ve been listening to plenty of new music, exploring genres, and listening to my permanent main staples, hyperpop has become my new palette cleanser; every time I venture out into something else and begin to acclimate to it, I head straight back to hyperpop. Britpop was released in May and BRAT came out in early June, so I’ve been completely engrossed in beeps and boops for two months straight before C,XOXO came out on June 28th.

I LUV IT

So, what does hyperpop have anything to do with Camila Cabello, an artist that is known for typical western pop and Latin music? “I LUV IT” is why; it’s the first single of C,XOXO (and first song on the album) - dropped a full month ahead of album release and eleven days before BRAT… and it’s a hyperpop song. I remember being shown the clip of the pre-chorus (where she repeats “I love it” over and over) on Twitter and thinking “oh God” because I thought it was so grating that there’s no way I would like the full song. My first complete listen-through of “I LUV IT” validated that initial impression. But then something happened on the very next listen. Something clicked. And I’ve been glued to it ever since.

Side-note: Fred Again..????

A quick side-note out of left field before jumping back into “I LUV IT,” just because it’s relevant to me expecting a different genre: “koshi xoxo” threw me for a loop because it’s such a Fred Again.. interlude that I almost checked to make sure I wasn’t accidentally listening to an Actual Life album instead of C,XOXO. It was the heavenly instrumental, the ever-so-slight reverb on the recording, and overall the quality of the voice memo recording that is so Fred. Unfortunately, while the following song happened to be a song that I like (“HOT UPTOWN”), it didn’t surprise me by dipping into a bit of house.

Back to I LUV IT

Something about that initial synth just flows. Her soft, slightly falsetto vocals flow with that synth works so incredibly well, and then BAM, the synth carries her into that previously-grating pre-chorus, which now just makes sense to me. It feels like she’s vocally tripping over herself, as if each “I love it” is sped up and there’s no way that she, in real life, could go from one phrase to the next. I also love the high pitch instrumental that sounds like a dentist tool getting drilled into my ear (do I have a problem?). We also get some very nice high-hats paired with the “lemons on the chain with the v-cuts” sample, which just fits so well with everything. Listening to this song puts me in a temporary pseudo-manic state where I feel incredibly energized, ready to take over the world, and wanting to bounce off the walls.

I also love Playboy Carti’s verse; I don’t understand anything he’s saying but I don’t care. Ever since I’ve been listening to non-English music, comprehendible lyrics are generally a bonus but not a requirement. What I look for in vocals is how the voice sounds and being able to sense whether the words flow with the beat. Carti’s voice sounds cool and the vocals flow with the rest of the track, so I’m satisfied.

So yeah, already being fully stuck in the hyperpop lane then getting one of my favorite vocalists to drop a track like “I LUV IT” caused me to pray for more of this in C,XOXO. Alas, the prayers were not answered and “I LUV IT” felt like a bait and switch. However, a lot of the elements and themes used throughout the album provide glimpses of potential for future albums that could possibly be truly unique and “out there,” solidifying her new musical look and feel.

Synths

One theme throughout C,XOXO is the use of synths. I can’t recall that she used synths in any prominent manner in her earlier works, and a quick skim through her songs confirmed that for me; perhaps she used it in some B-sides that I’m not remembering but aside from “Shameless” off of Romance I did not find much usage. I’m sure she used it, but maybe more in the background instead of as a crucial support beam.

Anyways, in this album the synths stood out to me in several songs and were often the element that kept me wanting to come back for more even when other aspects of the songs turned me off. “pink xoxo,” the first interlude, uses synths in a way that instantly caught my attention and gave hints of a futuristic hyperpop - or at least vanilla electronic - song, especially with the fun way she extends her lines like “I could be mistaken but I think again, we crossed the liiiiiiiiiine” and “…when I feel you liiiiiiiie.” I was so sad when I realized it was an interlude that didn’t really lead into a full version of the song, one which would add onto the instrumental. Such a complete missed opportunity! “pink xoxo” technically does lead into “HE KNOWS” but only carries over the background vocal sample used in the last fifteen seconds, not the synth (as far as I hear).

Several synth flavors make an appearance off-rip in “Dade County Dreaming,” giving it a badass vibe, as if from a dystopian city video game like Cyberpunk. That vibe was further accentuated by Camila’s verse and then the pre-rap chorus where the synth is front and center. Later in the song, after the feature, Camila comes back in along with a violin-sounding synth and piano, which was truly exquisite. The fourth synth I identified, at 2:17, is pure Mike Dean vibes, and that’s an instant button-press for me. Even with all that praise of the synth, I really don’t enjoy the two features, which completely take the song in a different direction, one that is nowhere nearly as attractive as the synth direction.

A third song with nice synths is “DREAM-GIRLS.” “DREAM-GIRLS” is an interesting one to me because I generally am not a fan of the reggaeton beat - let me explain.

Sidenote: reggaeton

I am not a hater of the beat itself, rather I feel that currently it is used quite lazily across the music industry, especially when the simplest version of it is used. It very much reminds me of how much I took issue with high-hats in hip-hop in the 2010s when I was deeply invested in the genre. In hip-hop, there are plenty of songs with high-hats that I love, and it is an integral part of the genre’s sound, but there was a certain kind of song where as soon as I heard the type and speed of high-hat, paired with a lack of other instrumental features, I knew I would not enjoy; if they were lazy with the high-hat and made it the instrumental focal point at the expense of the rest, chances were I would find the rest of the song uninspired.

I used to think that I disliked the reggaeton beat itself but I’ve found many reggaeton songs that I do like, though they tend to use the beat just as a beat, allowing other more interesting sounds or catchy melodies to drive the song. In fact, my favorite reggaeton song is “Flemme” by the French artist Angèle. I perceive the beat to be a faster reggaeton beat than I’ve usually heard, sounding more airy. I’m most attached to Angele’s melody in the chorus, so again the point being that the beat acts just as a beat. Another favorite is “BESO” by Rosalia; I especially love the way the beat plays with the piano at around 1:30.

“pretty when i cry” from C,XOXO is actually a perfect example of how a song can use reggaeton simply for the beat without allowing it to stand alone or overpower other interesting song features. I was listening carefully because I felt that there was something interesting about this beat in contrast to others, and I think it’s because there’s a different sound or instrument for each beat of the rhythm, so it’s not just a single sound.

Anyways, back to “DREAM-GIRLS” - keeping on theme with the synths, I thought they were fun and added a modern flavor over what I consider a pretty standard reggaeton beat.

Autotune

Another great element in this album, probably the easiest one to hear, is Camila’s newfound use of autotune; I don’t recall she used much of it at all in previous work, but I could be wrong. Hearing the autotune in both “I LUV IT” and the second song off the album, “Chanel No.5,” was quite interesting and promising to me because the two songs are polar opposites, yet both use autotune; this increased my anticipation for a strong hyperpop lean. “Chanel No.5” is a pretty chill slower song with nice vocals and I appreciate that she layers her main autotune vocals with more background autotune vocals :)

“B.O.A.T.” also has really tasteful autotune, which I’m realizing I’m just a sucker for; it adds such a modern spin to what would otherwise be a mostly standard slow ballad song… I’ll have more to say about B.O.A.T. later. I didn’t identify many other songs that use autotune as prominently as the aforementioned songs, but it is sprinkled into the rest of the album in a more subtle ways, like in “HE KNOWS,” “HOT UPTOWN,” and “pretty when i cry,” all of which still maintain focus on Camila’s natural voice for most of the runtime but apply some stronger autotune for certain interesting vocal tidbits.

For example, in “pretty when i cry” I think she jumps an octave in autotune when singing “and I’m in the mood to fight” and has an autotune edge on “make my brown eyes blueeee, ah, crazy deja-vuuuuuuu, ah.” It’s the little moments like these that won’t get me addicted to a song - the honors for that usually go to a song’s main element - but in a song where I already enjoy that main element, like the melody or beat, it serves to keep the song fresh for a little longer. It also helps transition Camila into this more modern sound, which should ease listeners into expecting autotune until maybe one day she releases an album chalk-full of it!

Singing quality: falsetto and raspiness

As with all Camila albums, one of my favorite qualities is her unique singing and speaking/rapping voice. I’m not an expert in describing vocals (just as I’m not an expert in describing literally anything else in music, so bear with me as you have in the rest of this analysis) but her voice simply sounds more unique than many of her contemporaries. It has the capacity of being very classically beautiful, but it also has a raspy quality that hits the spot; it’s the same quality that I am drawn to in Doja Cat’s voice. I feel that even her falsettos still maintain a slight raspy quality, which is so fun to hear. Obviously, this vocal style is present across the entire album, but I took particular note of it in a few songs, namely “Chanel No.5” with the falsettos and raspiness, “HE KNOWS,” “pretty when i cry”, “Dade County Dreaming,” and “June Gloom.” I’ve been looping “pretty when i cry” in particular because I love the way her voice makes the melody, especially with the fun looped backing vocals.

Build up and potential

All of the techniques and themes I’ve mentioned thus far are ones that I really love to hear in my music, and they’re present across most of the songs in C,XOXO. However, I unfortunately feel that for many of the songs, we are only getting a glimpse of the techniques and that Camila is not fully committing to them. As I mentioned, there are only a few songs where the synths and autotune are completely embraced. That isn’t necessarily a poor choice on Camila’s part because it does give the album some variety. At the same time, there are a few songs where I anticipate she is building up to something grand, only for her to pull back or the song ends.

The primary song that gave me that feeling is “B.O.A.T.” The very first lyric is a sample of Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service” (a 2009 classic). Once I caught that I was like “oh shit, this is going to be interesting.” The actual song after that intro starts slow, very ballad-like, with only a piano for the instrumental. Then around 1:11 she has a post chorus; now I’m properly excited because it’s not just a vocal sample but also an instrumental sample! She goes into another verse and chorus, then we get another post-chorus with the same samples, and I was fully expecting for the song to explode into something completely different, like a high-BPM full-blown synth pop song. Instead, the sample vocals and instrumental repeat, ending the song.

The song itself is a vibe for a particular mood given that I really enjoy the flow of the song, along with the tasteful autotune. However, I can’t help but be disappointed because of the potential that was not converted into reality. This could have been a song that no one expected to be a banger but then shoots up in her most listened songs on streaming because fans appreciate the uniqueness and switch-up.

I find “June Gloom” to go the same route as “B.O.A.T.”; it’s also a ballad with the central instrumental piece being piano notes held for a few seconds at a time. Around 2:06 the song picks up pace, intensity, and even volume… but then it just ends! She again built up a promising concept before abruptly ending, ultimately making insufficient use of it.

Conclusion

It’s easy to discern that this is a very personal album for Camila, for several reasons. The first is that this is quite the sonic departure from her earlier work. I felt that not a single song on this album even attempts to mimic the sound of a “Havana,” “Señorita,” or “Bam Bam.” This may be why many of the songs don’t fully land for me; she didn’t make it for the masses, she made it for herself and to try something new. I respect the hell out of this new direction since it would have been so easy to phone it in with the same style, flow, and producers. It also helps that she’s leaning towards a kind of music I’m drawn to, so I have reason to continually look forward to her future projects.

The second reason it’s personal is that, as mentioned in an interview, she has no cowriters on the album, which is an absolutely laudable feat in the modern age of hyper-collaboration. At the same time, as I mentioned previously, I often don’t pay much attention to lyrics if the production and flow don’t speak for themselves - unless I for some reason just latch onto the lyrics or I find them amazingly witty - which means that I cannot say her solo writing elevates the album for me.

When all is said and done, I had a lot of fun listening to and analyzing the album, and I find it to be a great step into a new sound, though maybe not every song is a loopable instant classic. Still, the potential is there for her music to truly evolve into something else. Ironically, because I listened to C,XOXO an unreasonable number of times to write this analysis, I’m looping and loving nearly everything, even songs that I otherwise would not have given a second chance LOL.