In recent years, Charli XCX has been known to release music at an exhaustive rate, much like the hip hop machine her output is undoubtedly influenced by. Color me shocked when the singer took a break from this schedule after last October’s Troye Sivan-featuring “1999;” admittedly, I’ve been thirsting, and I’ve (mostly) been quenched. “Blame It on Your Love” — suspected to be the first taste of her upcoming album, Charli — is a reworked version of “Track 10” from 2017’s Pop 2, which is itself a remix of the long-leaked original “Blame It on Your Love.” With pop phenomenon Lizzo hopping on the track, this iteration is the best of them all.
Opening with a spoken introduction from her collaborator, XCX quickly goes up to bat with the first verse, an apology for her recklessness and having hurt her partner — what appears to be multiple times — in the past. Jumping to the tropical-tinged chorus, the singer almost repents her sins before voicing the central lyric: “I blame it on your love/every time I fuck it up.” The rest of XCX’s contributions to the track follow this same format, but Lizzo thankfully livens things up. Over the course of her twenty-five seconds of airtime, the rapper references her single “Juice,” compares her body to a swisher, and demands the subject fall in love with her before it’s too late. After years in developmental purgatory, XCX proves why this is the version of “Blame It on Your Love” listeners deserved to hear.
Rating: 4/5