Charli XCX-mentored ELIO continues to excite on something in the air

With Charli acting as her mentor/manager, ELIO’s chops are clear. On her 2021, she lamented leaving a charger at an ex’s house, which already reached cult bop status, before Charli hopped on the remix for an added shine. Now, with ELIO’s debut album, something in the air, she mixes powerful pop jams with heartfelt ballads to a solidly crafted effort.

It won’t be controversial to say that the electro-pop bops on something in the air are the album’s best cuts. “A2B” is a deliciously-produced depiction of ELIO’s luxurious lifestyle, mentioning to a new lover that they can go wherever she goes, only “if you can keep up with me.” At just over two minutes, though, there’s missed opportunities to expand it into a longer effort — it certainly demands the runtime. “ONPAUSE” reflects on self-delusion, opting instead to close the curtains on one’s mind instead of confronting a problem head-first, and both “kissingonthewayhome” and “More Than My Mind” are buzzy, janky cuts that mix well with the depictions of bad, messy romance (even despite the lyrical clunker of how she “Serv[es] like Serena”).

Interestingly, more than any pop star chasing a quick trend like the onslaught of down-to-earth reinventions inspired by Gaga’s 2016 Joanne, ELIO infuses country stylings into her debut for often graceful, relaxed results. “SELF DESTROYER!!!” opens the record, and, dare I say, it could feel at home on something like Golden Hour? Sure, the pen game is certainly not as nuanced as Musgraves’ (“High school was a bitch / Boyfriend was a dick”) but it certainly has a breezy, open feel to it. “i got the boy” is a twangy lament to choosing an immature partner (“I bet he takes his coffee more bitter” is a very funny line), and the momentous and nostalgic “Sorority” muses about shrugging off female friendship, opting instead for the mistake-ridden man in her life: “I had no reservations about him slipping up / But there was always a bitch I didn’t trust.” Lyricism this honest (and self-flagellation) in pop is rare these days, and it helps that it’s against a delightfully catchy track. “ASPHALT RODEO” takes these inspirations even higher, with its roaring guitars and explicit writing.

There are a few attempts at Moments on the album (clearly denoted by either their all-lowercase or normally-capitalized titles), where ELIO slows it down to showcase a deeper side, but none really hit as hard as when she goes full-throttle on her more exciting tracks. The best example is “my mother’s jeans,” a lovely ode to her mother, packed with anecdotes about the day she moved out (September 8) or the fact that she looks like Debbie Harry. It’s not particularly interesting, but a worse song comes with “Can I Make You Jealous?”, a dated track about acting up in order to get a boyfriend’s attention. These just don’t stand out, and slows down the momentum ELIO is clearly going for.

something in the air is a mixed bag, but all debuts are, to some extent. ELIO’s put out two EPs and a mixtape of electropop behind her, and her first album is a solid step forward in terms of confidence and writing.