Charli XCX exists as an icon in the British and worldwide pop genre, starting off her musical career with her first album, “14,” in 2008. The album featured numerous songs that talked about her everyday life, people and experiences from school. It maintained a near childish aspect, due to its personality. Just about all the songs stayed personal to her, having made it at the age of 14. 

Her most recent album, “Crash,” started off with the promotional release of four different singles, “Beg For You” featuring Rina Sawayama as one of them. The single contains soft lyrics that talk of desperation, asking to not make her “beg for you”. One of the metaphors in the song refers to the person in question as an ocean breeze, “coming and going just as you please”. It keeps up with the drums it features, something she uses in most of her music and adds the exclusive y2k beat this album maintains. She also added to the track with a unique harp near the end. Both of the artist’s voices kept fans on the brink, waiting for the release of the album. The single came with the first video of the album, made in the cold of Lancaster, California. She teased the creation of the video on Instagram, showing off photos of her and Rina in their costumes. 

The cover photo, released November 14, 2021, captures Charli looking through a car’s front cracked window, staring straight into the camera. She wears a black bikini set, with blood running down the side of her face. The cover visualizes the title, “Crash,” by showing us the front window of the car on the side of the road. 

The first song and title track: “Crash,” maintains a y2k beat, something not entirely new to Charli’s sound. The song keeps with the main drum set and contains short and fast lyrics, followed quickly by undertones that give it even more of a pop sound. Near the end, a guitar feature closes out the opening track, with a subtle, yet loud tire screech to emphasize the theme. 

Just about all the tracks on the album received equal attention, but the main tracks include, “Beg For You”, “Crash”, “New Shapes” featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, “Good Ones” and “Yuck”. 

“New Shapes”, features multiple string instruments, but also stays true to Charli’s obvious affinity for drum sets. Her main lyric for this song centers around “what you want, I ain’t got it”, and with the context of other lyrics, this could explain that she wants to love, but she can not and that she should leave this person far away from her. Both features on the track add a fresh perspective to Charli’s music, with the deeper lyrics that bring context to the entire record, not only adding to the narrative but completely remaking it. 

Continuing with the top tracks, “Good Ones,” sticks with synth instrumentation. She decided to start this one off with a short intro verse and continue into the pre-chorus. She carries the main lyric “I always let the good ones go” with wavy vocals. Highlighted with “yeah yeah” along the track, there’s a feeling of excitement and near melancholy throughout the entire song, ending with a soft “go”. 

To finish the track reviews, “Yuck” added a positive viewpoint to the album. The lyrics suggest Charli actually might withhold disgust for all the lovey-dovey aspects of a relationship. She calls herself a hypocrite, meaning she did not want to fall in love, and that she set that rule for herself, and broke it. She enjoyed the “cringy” side of a relationship but wants to say she does not. Her voice in the record keeps a longing inflection to it, affirming that her message gets through to the listener. 

Charli XCX says that the album keeps a common upbeat pop tune throughout, but the lyrics, for the most part, hold darker messages. 

“The album definitely has some great songs, and the singles were really good. I enjoyed the attention to detail in every song, with all the different sounds she created. I can’t wait to see what else she’ll be making,” sophomore Natalie Solomon said.

The Chant’s rating: A+