Album Reviews: Charli XCX // Crash

Atlantic Records UK

3.75 Stars out of 5

Charli XCX is a gift to pop music. Charlotte Aitchison, better known to the world as Charli XCX is a gifted songwriter and performer with a nearly untouchable catalog. It seems, then, that Crash might just be her gift back. With a much more traditional dance pop sound, Charli seems to be abandoning her more experimental side. While what we're left with is extremely listenable, it's almost underwhelming after being treated to the hyperpop genius of 2020's How I'm Feeling Now (in what was my personal pick for album of the year). The standout tracks are unsurprisingly the album's first three singles. "Good Ones" and "New Shapes" (featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek) dropped in late 2021, with "Beg For You" (featuring Rina Sawayama) coming out this January. The fourth single, "Baby," plays as lackluster compared to the previous three. Maybe it's the added strength of Charli's cutting edge guests that put those songs over the edge? Whether or not Crash represents a permanent shift into a more accessible sound for an icon like Charli remains to be seen.