Charli XCX: Crash review - a cohesive, fun and cheeky fifth album

Charli XCX’s fifth studio album, CRASH, has arrived at last - and she’s finally found her sound, and stuck to it.

Charli is no stranger to hyper pop-inspired music, but hearing a cohesive, exciting piece of art from her, with a reasonable amount of collaborations, is refreshing and showcases how she has grown in her ten years in the industry.

The title track embodies the overall vibe of the album - energetic, bouncy and feel-good. The track is the perfect opener, and as she sings “I’m about to crash into the water, gonna take you with me” - it’s almost as if she’s talking to listeners about the journey this album will take them on.

Collaborators such as Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek and Rina Sawayama give a fresh balance and perspective to the album. “Beg For You”, featuring Rina Sawayama, samples “Cry For You” by September, and it’s the perfect remake of a dance hit.

The 2000s pop influences are clear throughout this whole project, particularly on “Baby” and “Yuck” - a funk-infused song that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of getting 'the ick'. “That boy's so mushy, sending me flowers, I’m just tryna get lucky” she sings, a perspective we seldom hear from female artists.

Charli isn’t a lyrical genius, but she certainly knows what her fans are looking for in her music, and that’s fresh, exciting melodies and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama

A song that falls flat is “Move Me”, a lacklustre ballad about her pushing a partner away, though it’s nice to see more vulnerability and openness in the album, and from Charli in general.

The twelve songs on this album are all relatively short, which can be anti-climactic at times - but plenty of artists are choosing to pump out multiple two-minute songs rather than a longer, better quality song, potentially for a better chance at more streams.

CRASH has definitely solidified Charli XCX’s place in the industry as a “main pop girl”, proven by her first number one on the Official UK Charts and the overall aesthetics of this long-awaited album.