45s of the week – Charli XCX, Cardi B, Miley Cyrus & more! – The Forty-Five

The tracks you need to hear this week, reviewed by Jenessa Williams
“It’s okay to just admit that you’re jealous of me.” A thumping new era of Charli XCX is upon us, and she is throwing her travel insurance to the wind, crafting a high-octane, braggy and borderline-aggressive synth hit. Borrowing hints of ‘Tenderoni’-era Kele, it’s a stark transition from the polished pop energy of ‘Crash’, but that’s exactly the point; who would bet against an artist who can truly do both?
Ahead of a formal album comeback (don’t think we missed that ‘stay tuned’ message at the end of the video), Cardi’s ‘Like What’ is a solid amuse-bouche, sampling Missy Elliott’s iconic ‘She’s A Bitch’. It’d be difficult to ever fail on that beat, but with her comedic one-liners and thoughtfully throwaway allusions to her relationship ‘drama’ (“I ain’t ever lost no n**** I needed”), Cardi never lets the classics overwhelm her own fire.   
Still sporting that immaculate GRAMMYs blowdry, Miley Cyrus has teamed up with long-term collaborator Pharrell for a re-vamped of a track that originally leaked somewhere around her ‘Bangerz’ era. It’s no real surprise to know that ‘Doctor’ has been in the vaults for some time; the lyrics and drums do feel a little retro, but much like 2014’s ‘Come Get It Bae’, it’s an easy, breezy come-hither track that perfectly suits Miley’s buoyant 2024 energy. 
It’s been hard to escape the idea of an ‘indie sleaze’ revival in the last few years, but Catty’s ‘I Dated A Monster’ feels like the moment when it might finally pay off in the UK. Inspired by her own cancelled wedding and an instantly recognisable sample from The Automatic, the Welsh newcomer’s glam-pop, Halloween-ish take on relationship regret is silly and campy, but all the more fun for its knowing wink. 
Amsterdam’s Sarah and Julia might already be sisters, but it’s Phoebe Bridgers who is really their twin on ‘Mount Fuji’, a slow, elegant ballad inspired by the Japanese tale of Princess Kaguya. A wistful story of missing someone, it captures the feeling of uncertainty and makes it something comforting, boding well for the release of their debut EP — ‘How Do We Go Back To Being Normal’? — in April.
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