Australian dark-pop princess CXLOE has released her debut six-track EP titled Heavy Part One and boy is it brimming with pop bangers. On this EP, she establishes two distinct personas - CXLOE and Chloe. CXLOE is dark, complex and extreme, whereas Chloe is warm, vulnerable and wholesome. By making this distinction, CXLOE/Chloe has given herself permission to be a multi-faceted and complex human being, in the hope that others will be inspired to do the same. “It's nice to finally let these internal battles and struggles go and celebrate the fact that these struggles make me who I am,” she says.
Starting strong ‘12 Steps’ tackles the subject of addiction, a topic close to CXLOE’s heart, with the her dedicating the first week of the single’s sales to Lifeline. Its very personal subject matter juxtaposed with synth pop galore invites us to let down our walls and groove helplessly.
‘I’m giving up trying to quit it, I put my faith in you / The first thing to do is admit it, the last thing I usually do’
‘One and Lonely’ is up next and it speaks about the feeling of separation from the person you love. CXLOE’s breathy chorus vocals are reminiscent of Ariana Grande and her catchy melodies have got me singing ‘I feel guilty leaving you behind / Bright light city guess who’s on my mind’ all day long.
The ostentatious bass is unmissable in fittingly titled semi-title track ‘Heavy’ and is one of the EP's most club-ready tracks. “I spend a majority of the year away from my partner, and it always weighs on me heavily. This song talks about the endless flights and sleepless nights away from each other and how heavy this feeling is,” CXLOE explains. "The song talks about a relationship that was once light and full of love but now carries too much weight to handle. I feel this extreme switch with a lot of things in my life and most of the time it's self-sabotage. Another beautiful trait of mine.”
In second half of the EP, we are greeted with more a laidback atmosphere in ‘Swing’. On the track, CXLOE shares, ‘"Swing’ is about my ever-changing emotions. Like a pendulum, I swing. As a creative we often feel too much and this can be very debilitating.” Accompanying this single is the stunning music video directed by Femme TV that you can check out below:
‘Plans’ is ironically about having no plans and being content in doing nothing with your soulmate. Thumping beats build tension before production is sucked out, leaving CXLOE's dreamy bare vocals to bless our ears. The ensuing satisfying drop makes this track another club banger! Closing with her signature electro-pop aesthetic, ‘Creature’ speaks on our inherently animalistic nature and how difficult it is to resist habits that make us feel whole.
'Creature, creature, can't seem to shake the habit / I need ya, need ya, not my fault I got to have it'
Expressing her excitement for the release, CXLOE explains, “Having my debut EP, Heavy Part One, out in the world is so exciting and therapeutic for me as an artist. I have been working on these songs over the past couple of years and I finally feel after years of self-reflection, that they each individually represent such an important part of myself.”
With already more than 35 million streams, 5 of which come from the USA alone, Australian pop sensation CXLOE is not stopping anytime soon. Not only have her songs received airplay on Triple J and on various commercial radio stations in Australia, but they have also received coverage on Billboard, Refinery29 and VOGUE Australia, just to name a few. We are super proud of our homegrown Aussie superstar and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. Give us Part Two already!
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