She also explains that the X in her name represents the unknown variable in algebra, saying: “In mathematics, X is any possible variable. It’s an unknown quantity. Once it’s solved, it’s no longer X. With that in mind, X is the identity that I take on as I go through my journey of self-discovery. It’s these questions that I’m trying to grapple with in the public sphere. If I ever find that piece that I’m after or solve the equation, as it were, then I will no longer be Allie X.”
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Kayla Beardslee: Allie X’s music often dances on the line between fun, ethereal, and sinister. Are her gliding vocals on “Rings a Bell” comforting or haunting? Do the rings a bell/casts a spell images evoke playful dollar-store Halloween decorations, or are they a cry for help? Are the burbling bass, the vocoder, and the intermittent guitar strums meant to make the production more danceable, or to warn listeners that something scary is sneaking up behind us? Are all these answers true at once? I can never quite tell.
[7]
Alex Clifton: If I wasn’t so enamoured with Caroline Polachek’s newest album I might like this more. The chorus is nice and witchy, but I’ve hit that point in the term where I’m stressed about school and work, and this isn’t the all-encompassing escapist song I want it to be.
[3]
Katherine St Asaph: Allie X probably couldn’t have foreseen this reminding me of Cath Carroll’s “Moves Like You,” which anything compares unfavorably to. She might have foreseen it also reminding me of The Knife’s “One Hit,” although let’s be real, the actual inspiration is probably just “Bad Guy,” in accordance with her suspiciously well-timed embrace of minimal pop. All of these are great songs.
[7]
Kylo Nocom: If Dodie’s “Boys Like You” was an acoustic take on “Bury a Friend” that retained the original’s lurking despair (the same cannot be said for Billie’s official acoustic performances), “Rings a Bell” is “Boys Like You” re-animated for the dancefloor, two degrees away from Billie with all tension removed. The last remnants of “Bury a Friend” are in the percussive clicks and whispered delivery, and the hook follows the approach of Dodie’s hopscotch melody to sly results. But Allie X’s other inspiration, the “Attention”-style bassline, drags the song at its awkward pace.
[6]
Tobi Tella: A pleasant song that never approaches any kind of pulse or direction.
[5]
Alfred Soto: A minute and a coo too long, but the synth bass has the correct sinuosity, and Allie X does the simmer well.
[6]
Leah Isobel: The melody lilts like an old-school Disney number, but the propulsive French house bass and empty midrange throw the whole track off-kilter. Fortunately, Allie thrives in the Twilight Zone. She keeps her vocal held back in her throat, letting the empty space around her spread out in all directions rather than filling it up. It’s a banger that doesn’t quite bang, an aural cold sweat, and her most complete-feeling single since “Casanova.”
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