Grade: 4.5/5.0

Over the last 15 years, Charli XCX has proven to be a mainstay within the world of pop music. Taking into account her emblematic 2008 MySpace discovery, her debut album True Romance, her iconic chorus on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” and the quarantine-recorded How I’m Feeling Now, XCX has written for the biggest names within the industry (e.g., Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani) all while clearly becoming a big name herself. 

Having ventured into experimental realms over the past five years, the singer’s latest record CRASH meticulously blends her iconic hyperpop inspired musical outlook with the digestible pop sounds found within her early music. The album’s cover presents a bloody-faced, bikini-donning XCX posing on the hood of a crashed Corvette, presenting listeners with a preview into the sexy and commercial, but nonetheless provocative and boundary-pushing LP.

With features from many of pop music’s rising stars, production from powerhouses such as A.G. Cook and Deaton Chris Anthony as well as samples from beloved dance staples such as “Show Me Love” and “Cry For You,” the record is an entertaining, easy play for casual listeners and superfans alike. 

Starting the record off with a bang (or a crash, if you will), the title track is equal parts hypnotic and energetic. Backed only by harmonizing vocals, the song’s intro features XCX singing the heavily modulated chorus, “I’m about to crash into the water, gonna take you with me/ I’m high voltage, self-destructive, end it all so legendary.” As the drum track fades in alongside disco-inspired electric guitars, it becomes clear that fans are in for a treat. Continuing the theme of crashed cars found in her and Icona Pop’s smash-hit “I Love It” (“I crashed my car into the bridge, I watched, I let it burn”), the song harkens back to XCX’s past work, but doesn’t allow nostalgia to hinder the artist’s matured songwriting.

The second single released off the record, “New Shapes” featuring Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens, is a similarly impressive listen. With blasting synthesizers, a plucky bass line and attention-grabbing background vocals, the soundscapes cast listeners into the world of CRASH. That’s not to mention the incredibly smart lyricism, highlighted by Polachek’s “Deep in the dark of your brain like a star in space/ You call it art, but you pulled on my heart/ And you twisted it into a new shape.” The track is a beautifully assembled listen, with vast attention placed on every minuscule detail of the play.

A bit more mainstream, yet not at all disingenuous is “Yuck.” Future Nostalgia-esque in its production, the song is clearly ’80s inspired and presents a narrative similar to — however, infinitely more successful than — Miley Cyrus’ “BB Talk.” Singing “Yuck, now you got me blushin’/ Cheeks so red when the blood starts rushing,” XCX’s lyricism is both clever and juvenile, granting the poignant tracklist a much-needed, lighthearted intermission.

The unquestionable highlight of the album is “Lightning.” Both a lyrical and sonic feat, the song guides listeners through the traumas of heartbreak. Utilizing lightning strikes as an allegory of hope for a relationship’s success, XCX’s vocals shine throughout the entire listen as she belts the emotive lyrics. Backed by distorted guitars and over-the-top synths, the track’s production is intentionally harsh. However, the climax of the listen is revealed within the pre-chorus, where all instrumentation is stripped away except for a vocoded vocal track. Singing “Heartbreak already hit me once/ So swear that it won’t happen twice,” XCX seamlessly tugs at listeners’ heartstrings before moving into the incredibly dancy chorus.

Both pop lovers and skeptics would be amiss to not give CRASH a listen. Diligently combining the experimental with the prevailing pop ethos, it is clear that XCX put her entire heart into the creation of the near-perfect LP. Upbeat, earwormy and undeniably danceable, the record will be pumping through gay bars and middle school dances alike long into the indefinite future, and for good reason. 

Charli XCX’s expansive, authentic vision for tomorrow’s pop music scene is one that is catching on quickly, and CRASH has only sped up such proliferation.