Whereas at times bordering on abrasive to unseasoned ears, Charli’s work can appeal to pop-lovers of all stripes.
Charli is a near-perfect balance of trusty pop formulas and PC Music experimentalism.
Charli carries certain face-melting properties; several of its songs blister, warp, and decompose over time, as a result of Cook and company’s habit of introducing new production elements as each track unfolds.
Charli rockets down the same hyperspeed lane as Pop 2, and like its predecessor, it’s home to a staggering number of unyielding future-pop anthems.
Charli packs in plenty of wow and proves to be more than worth the wait.
The sexy android cover and star-studded collaborations on her third album, Charli, suggest an all-guns-blazing pitch for blockbuster status. But the contents are far weirder than that implies.
New album wears its raw, metallic beats and synths on the outside.
The result of years of experimentation, this album enlists established stars and emerging talents to create a work that is quintessentially Charli XCX.
The embattled singer reveals her anxieties and coaxes brilliance from various guests in a candid, confident third album.
The result is a collection of sad bops masquerading as bangers, just as perfect for the club as for a solo bedroom dance party.
It’s clear that Charli XCX is a songwriter who is willing to take risks and make striking artistic decisions. She’s unafraid to go where pop hasn’t gone, and it’s an attitude sorely needed in an industry that remains conflicted between following trends and individuality.
They've created an Event Pop Record with purpose, pointing the way forward while positioning Aitchison as a pop artist with something to say.
It is, hands down, the best iteration of XCX yet, the one where Aitchison’s pop capabilities line up most persuasively with her avant garde ear.
Charli sets a standard, with room for input, for adjustment, for putting faith in the sum, in partnership, in yourself, in parties, in pop.
With adventurous production and revealing writing, Charli XCX’s third studio album reflects an artist ready to commit to self-examination.
Despite these brief lulls, Charli is another winning release from an artist who won't be stopped in pushing pop music into the 22nd century.
Each collaboration allows her to explore different sides of her persona while still presenting something holistic. It’s also just a bloody good pop album with lots of highlights.
Charli is not the perfect pop album, nor is it a fully developed manifesto for where pop could go, but it is a collection of enjoyable, interesting tracks that don’t sound completely alien, but also don’t sound like anyone involved is selling out.
Next-level Charli happens, it seems, to be largely a continuation of the same Charli.
In a way, its unevenness is only fitting for an artist as committed to blurring pop's artistic boundaries and connecting the dots between its past, present, and future as she is -- that she's this hard to pin down this far into her career is exactly what makes her a continually intriguing talent.
Her third studio album is more immersive and exudes more confidence than anything in her catalogue thus far.
Charli shies away from extremes, its emotions sharply drawn but never devastating, its beats playfully abrasive but only occasionally mind-bending.
The uncertain atmosphere hinders the album's climb to the heights of Pop 2 and Vroom Vroom, projects with similar ideas yet much less restraint when enacting them.
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