album review: 'CRASH' by charli xcx

In 2020, Charli XCX made the off-hand comment of ‘I’m interested in the concept of selling out’. She wouldn’t be the first to have that sentiment - there’s been more than a few acts in the counterculture who purposefully indulge in popularity before making a conscious choice to swivel out of it, but this is 2022 where poptimism is in full swing, what would selling out even look like for Charli XCX, who started her career making electro-pop bangers and providing a hook to Iggy Azalea?

Well, it’s a bit of a misnomer and it doesn’t quite fully capture where Charli XCX has been in the past seven or eight years - yeah, she’s always been a major label act but her genre swerve into the blown out, glassy tones of hyperpop changed how a lot of folks perceived her music and career, winning a lot of critical acclaim and a diehard, extremely online fanbase on the way. And I talked about this balancing act between her instincts conventional and otherwise when I reviewed Charli in 2019 after seeing her at a festival, where she was trying to marry both approaches and it never quite coalesced, either on record or live, which I think has been frustrating for everyone involved, from the label to Charli XCX herself. So when I hear the phrase ‘I’m interested in the concept of selling out’, you can tell it’s more about her diving full force into her conventional pop side, playing the game all the way, maybe being cheeky or self-aware about it, and seeing what might actually happen, be the over-the-top pop star that Atlantic has been wanting the entire time… even if it might come at the expense of the hyperpop elements that have not quite permeated the mainstream market as expected.

And while I can see that being polarizing to a fanbase who got onboard because of the unique hyperpop stylism… I have to be honest, I didn’t hate this idea? I’ve always been mixed on Charli XCX within that style of production, which over the course of multiple mixtapes and albums has always felt hit-and-miss to me, and for the last album on her major label where she likely still has those connections, why not try and make that retro pop album that bangs all the way through, even if it winds up a little less experimental? And come on, this is her last album on Atlantic and I can’t imagine she’s going to re-sign, which’ll likely mean going indie and full hyperpop all the way down, so this is likely a detour at most. So yeah, even despite the mess that’s come with lukewarm to outright hostile online response to this album - which nobody has been handling well, for the record - I tried to go into this with an open mind; how did it go?

Well, turns out it’s pretty good - and I think that places me in the a weird position with respect to the divisions in the fandom this caused. On the one hand, even if I have odd opinions on Charli’s material and have for nearly a decade now - I still think my favourite song of hers is ‘Need Ur Luv’, a deep cut from Sucker - I’d argue this album is a fair bit better than many will give it credit, especially in what it’s trying to do in its explosively odd final chapter from Atlantic. But on the other hand, it’s not a great album - I know I’m in the minority in thinking she doesn’t have one consistent all the way through, but while some of her issues have persisted, CRASH swaps out some of the textural problems I used to have with issues that are more structural, and that seems like a deeper concern worth examining.

So let’s get the obvious out of the way first: in terms of lyrical punch or flair, Charli XCX has never impressed me much, and CRASH certainly doesn’t change that - it’s the expected pop framework of yearning love songs, relationship drama, and as expected for an album really trying to work the metatext of this being a ‘final’ album with Atlantic, a lot of explosive breakups songs. I do appreciate that there are plenty of moments where she questions this exodus of a relationship that she knows is quite bad but still has an irresistible tug - almost like her passing flirtations with ‘selling out’ that I previously mentioned - so the framing is solid and I like how she ultimately does get away, questioning that final leap before realizing she can’t think twice and dives straight in. And there’s a fair few cute moments - the conflicted wistfulness of ‘New Shapes’, the exasperation at herself on ‘Good Ones’ that later extends to someone who never takes the leap on ‘Constant Repeat’, the cheating scenes of ‘Every Rule’, even the lighthearted embarrassment of the love feeling real on ‘Yuck’ had some charm. That said, if you’re looking for standout lyrical moments or the stylized poetry rooted in hyperpop of the past few projects… no, it’s not here and it could feel like something is missing or more basic; I would disagree, as a lot of that felt like genre window-dressing that didn’t add much for me, but if you are missing that, I get it.

Hell, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that there’s something missing from CRASH as a whole, which is where we get to the structural problems: all of these songs feel abbreviated at best or just outright missing a proper ending at worst; the album feels short as it is, so when so many songs clock out quicker than you’d expect after just two verses and no bridge, it leaves you wondering if good ideas were blown through quickly in order to just finish it fast. And I’m not sure that helps the album feel as explosive as Charli’s previous projects - not only is it more ‘conventional’, but the impact of the bangers might not go as hard as what some might expect. And sure, in a TikTok economy you can say a lot for brevity, but considering how much Charli XCX is pulling on the sound palette of 80s synthpop and late 90s dance pop, compressing the scale feels like a misstep, especially as someone familiar with these tones or when she outright samples. Take ‘Used To Know Me’ with its slick, pulsating house vibe courtesy of the Robin S. sample of ‘Show Me Love’ - not only is that sample overused, but it locks into second gear and never lets Charli XCX push harder. This is also an issue in the 90s electronic elements of ‘Beg For You’ with Rina Sawayama, which sound way more impactful that it does, or how for as much as ‘Good Ones’ is going for a Eurhythmics vibe, it just feels weirdly short as does ‘Constant Repeat’, and in the most glaring example you have ‘Twice’ as the closer that integrates a key change and has you expecting a final hook… and it never comes. And for an album that’s trying to crash out with a bang… maybe give it a little more?

And it’s frustrating because when it comes to melodic composition and how much Charli is leaning into the dancefloor diva vamping, this album feels as sharp and refined as ever, where even A.G. Cook and Oneohtrix Point Never don’t feel out of place in the sleek pop construct; yes, it’s less hyperpop on a textural level, but that also allows the bass grooves to really pop in a way they didn’t before. Hell, when the title track decided to go full new jack swing I was entirely onboard, especially as Charli was going to ram it through with creaking synths and that warped guitar to make it sound fresh and modern. Similar case for ‘Baby’ with its new wave touches, or how ‘Lightning’ goes all in with the vocoders and that balance of smolder that later drops in an acoustic interlude. And easily my favourite song here was ‘New Shapes’, half because Charli XCX has great chemistry with everyone here, but also because with verses from both Christine & The Queens and Caroline Polachek, the song feels fully formed, even if my strongest emotion coming away from it is yearning for that next Caroline Polachek album and praying it’s not going to be all ‘Bunny Is A Rider’. Now if you’re played out with the idea of 80s nostalgia at this point… look, I get it, the decade has been overexposed, and I’d argue Charli doesn’t make the most of the ‘bigness’ of that sound, which could be a natural fit for her more piercing vocal tone; hell, you could argue that all she’s doing is paying tribute and it’s not one that comes close to matching the past. My response is twofold: you are likely misremembering how well those albums may have aged, because outside of the big singles it can get very shaky; and maybe it’s just as someone with much lower expectations for Charli as a whole, but minus the hyperpop gloss Charli proves here she could have competed in any of these eras with sharp production and solid hooks all around, and to have that level of versatility is impressive.

Now again, I don’t think this is a great album… but again, I wasn’t expecting great, and the fact that the compositions pop as much as they do away from all the gloss and artifice is a testament to rock solid fundamentals, good melodies, and a presence that has picked up more refinement, expressiveness, and flair as the decade has gone on - the Charli XCX of True Romance and Sucker could not have made this album. And while there are a few cuts that will likely wind up feeling dated to now - ‘Move Me’ sounds most contemporary and it’s probably the least notable in its execution - I’m also aware that this is transitional, an abortive exit strategy that was built to satisfy contract obligations; the fact that there’s consistent quality at all might be the real surprise. Again, I’ve had weird opinions on Charli XCX for about a decade, but I think the backlash could afford to fade for an album that’s better than many are giving it credit. Solid pop music that might not have the flash, but feels more groove-driven and consistent for it; I’ll take it, good stuff.