Charli XCX - "Number One Angel"

Charli XCX is a England based Pop Star who for the most part I've always defended.  Her 2013 debut "True Romance" was a fantastic, moody, 80's tinged pop album that I usually group together with Carly Rae Jepsen's equally as fantastic "E-MO-TION" album.  Charli in between that and her next album, "Sucker" just got bigger and bigger it seems like, mostly due to her huge features on Icona Pop's "I Love It" and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy".  On Charli's followup, 2014's "Sucker", she was clearly going for a more mainstream Pop sound.  But even by mainstream Pop standards, this seriously wasn't bad at all.  While it was dominated by the massive "Boom Clap", tracks like "Break The Rules" and "London Queen" really made this a solid pop album overall.  On the other hand, last year Charli alienated most of her fans with her very divisive "Vroom Vroom" EP.  This was far from what we've heard from Charli so far, as she tackled much more difficult beats, produced by one of my favorite producers in the world, SOPHIE.  This was a really bizarre EP, filled with gigantic bass drops, Pulp Fiction samples, and a sweet little Hannah Diamond feature.  Most of Charli's fans despised this EP, but I thought it was a blast to listen to.  Now, I knew we were getting something new from Charli this year, but a free mixtape out of nowhere I certainly didn't expect.

(The One Song that made notice Charli XCX)

This mixtape starts off with “Dreamer” with features from Starrah and RAYE.  It starts off with a VERY nice, thick, intro that’s even a little dark.  The synths are chilling, but it’s the bass here that really stands out.  The bass here is massive and completely impenetrable. Now lets be honest about Charli’s lyrics, they’ve never been truly stunning or prolific.  But between her spunky attitude and bars about being famous, it’s always sort of just worked out really nicely for Charly.  “Dreamer” is fun, it has a little bit of a groove to it, but as far the features here go they’re a little underwhelming.  Both Starrah and RAYE come through with some verses that aren’t nearly as energetic or fun, they just come off as OK.  Honestly, it all comes down to the atmosphere, which Charli just seems so much more comfortable within.  I love the icy synths that come bumping in behind Charli on the pre-chorus, and the production continues to be HEAVY.   Now, I’m not entirely sure if SOPHIE and the rest of PC Music’s heavy hitters are behind the production on this mixtape, but I wouldn’t be surprised.  “Dreamer” isn’t as explosive as some of her intros in the past, but it’s a solid intro.  Up next is “3AM (Pull Up)”, which to be honest is just a little too breezy for me.  Half of what made the intro solid was that HUGE production, here this sounds like it could easily be a radio single from faceless pop star.  The production here is still quirky, but “3AM (Pull Up)” just remains too bouncy and sugary for my taste.  I will give it this though, the chorus here may be the cutest one here and as much as I dislike the rest of the track, it still sticks.  There’s actually a handful of really good elements to “3AM (Pull Up)”, but as far as I’m concerned this really doesn’t come off like a Charli XCX single.  Thankfully that HUGE atmosphere bounces right back with “Blame It On U”.  Right off the bat, this is exactly the kind of beat I love hearing Charli on.  I love how just how crushing the bass here is as well as those synths floating through the background.  Compared to the mediocre opening tracks, this is just so much better of a sound for Charli.  There’s a little bit of a retro tinge to her vocals which sounds fantastic, it’s almost along the same lines of what she brought to the table on her “True Romance” album (with some more hip sounds in her verses of course).  It’s not really that radio friendly, but that’s what I loved about her “Vroom Vroom EP”, just how many risks she took.  Charli has always done so well with this “Bad Girl” image that she presents, and her “drugged filled party girl” mood on tracks like this always comes off fantastic for her.  Personally, I love it.  Especially that last minute when all of those HUGE synths come in, all of a sudden this turns into a seriously epic dance pop song.  “Roll With Me” is the album’s seriously upbeat song, which I worry about a little.  However, Charli pulls it off nicely.  First off, lets talk about the production here.  SOPHIE of PC Music is definitely behind the production on this one, I know those quirky sounds anywhere.  But man, does Charli ever sound fantastic on this beat.  All of her attitude comes out for this one.  It’s upbeat and peppy, and in Charli’s own way this is absolutely kind of adorable.  If you listened to and enjoyed her “Vroom Vroom EP”, this is the track you’re going to want to look out for. As far as lyrics go, this one is about an adorable romance that stems from a night of clubbing, so if you’re looking for groundbreaking lyrics this one isn’t for you.  But, if you can just throw those worries away and just have some fun, this is the quirky pop album for you.  

Up next is “Emotional” a much slower track with some of Charli’s biggest vocals yet.  To be honest, if you listened to Carly Rae Jepsen’s last album and accompanying EP, you’d probably agree this would have fit snuggly on there.  This one deals with the struggle of caring and wanting to be with someone while that person has a significant other, and so do you nonetheless.  As far as a raw emotional track from Charli, it’s the biggest one you’re going to find here.  It’s far from the party atmosphere and quirky rhythms we’ve been dealt so far, to be honest this one is pretty damn sad sounding.  And in Charli’s story she tells, she doesn’t even succumb to her urges, at least not completely, how sweet.  Charli bounces right back though with one of my favorite tunes on here by FAR, “ILY2”.   The contrast between this one and the last track is gigantic, as this one quickly dumps us right back into the heavy party feel. But MAN is it just so catchy and joyous.  The bouncy synths and the heavy waves of noisy production work so well, making for honestly one of the easiest tracks to digest here.  Some of the production on earlier tunes may have been a little too much for some, but here this is just so easy to wrap you’re head around.  This is JUST the straightforward, catchy pop tune that works so fantastically with Charli’s style.  Not to mention, those solos towards the end are surprisingly really epic.  “White Roses” right from its intro has an absolutely gigantic PC Music sound, with an atmosphere so ridiculously thick you can cut it with a knife.  “White Roses” is much slower and much more calculating style.  But as slow and methodical as it gets, this takes the cake as far as a cute track goes.  I love how minimal the production is and plenty else, but Charli’s performance is on the more lifeless side.  While it’s adorable, this is also her least animated track here.  And it’s not like she can’t work well in this sort of atmosphere, she proved that earlier.  Sure, there’s tons to love about this one, but man do I ever wish Charli’s performance was just a little bit more lively.  That production however, is amazing.  “Babygirl” featuring Uffie on the other hand, I can’t say enough good things about.  Instantly this is a HUGE step in the right direction, bringing back quickly all of Charli’s usual personality traits.  This one is a big cheesier and filled with all sorts of ridiculous references like calling herself the “Pinup Queen” and talks about her angels wings and how she lives in your dreams.  But as completely over the top this is, it works great for Charli.  This one has such an undeniable groove to it, and as simple as that chorus is it’s easily the most memorable one here.  Uffie’s verse here honestly meshes better with Charli’s vibe than probably any other collaborator here, so that’s a huge plus to.  Overall, “Babygirl” is a fantastic pop tune.  

Charli has 2 more for us still.  First up is a little bit of a hiccup for her, it’s “Drugs” fearing Abra.  I actually DO love the heavy atmosphere on this one.   But as far as lyrics go this just comes off as fairly trashy to be honest.  Don’t get me wrong, Charli’s lyrics have always been ruled by drugs and parties, but on “Drugs” it just doesn’t even seem like she's trying.  I do however continue to really enjoy the production as well as the synth pop feel to this one.  Once again though, I’m REALLY not feeling Abra’s feature at all, I feel like most of the features on this album really didn’t need to be there.  Charli however does this track a little justice by bringing in a catchy hook and some really bizarre vocals towards the end.  “Drugs’ isn’t perfect, but it’s still not terrible.  Charli though really knocks it out with the finale, “Lipgloss” featuring CupcakKe.  To be honest, this may be the most intense sounding track on the album, and easily the most upbeat track I’ve heard in a while on here.  “Lipgloss” as a whole is way too catchy for its own good.  When Charli sinks in this heavy synth pop feel it just works so well.  I love the quirky, all over the place production, it just makes this track so damn fun.  If you’re familiar with CupcakKe’s usual style, you wont be too shocked by her hyper sexualized verse, but to be honest it really works with the sound of everything else going on here.  As far as a real banger goes, this is the hardest hitting track here, and man does it pay off.  

Rating: 8.1/10

Give A Listen To:  “Babygirl”, “Roll With Me”, “Lipgloss”, “ILY2”

Overall Thoughts:  When I heard Charli was releasing a mixtape I was worried, this could have been messy as hell.  But honestly, this is probably the most seriously consistent project Charli's made since her first album "True Romance".  The production on this album is fantastic, and Charli XCX's usual Party Girl attitude works so well on so much of this album.  It's not ground breaking, but it's her usual blend of quirky, fun, explosive pop.