Charlie XCX continues to push the genre with new album “Crash”. PHOTO CREDIT: The Guardian
English pop singer-songwriter Charli XCX, best known for her previous songs such as “Boom Clap” and features in “I Love It” and “Fancy,” released her new album, “Crash,” on March 18.
“Crash” hit the charts landing No. 1 in the UK, Ireland and Australia. The new album seems to have a more mature and bold style, as her cover portrays, compared to her previous hits. The sound of “Crash” seems to combine pop and hints of electronic dance music, creating an old-school aesthetic with a modern twist.
“Crash” mainly revolves around relationships, as she discusses topics regarding passion, struggles and growth, which are easily relatable.
Her opening track, “Crash,” along with the official visualizer on YouTube, gives off an ‘80s aesthetic, which sets the tone for the following songs. In the song, Charli XCX repeatedly says “I’m about to crash into the water,” which is interesting as she has talked about crashing in her previous works. An iconic line from “I Love It” is “I crashed my car into the bridge, I watched, I let it burn.” This recurring topic may represent inner struggles and self-destruction or just Charli XCX’s habit of talking about crashing.
“Move Me” was my favorite song because of its more mellow beat and lyrics. I enjoyed the meaning of the song, as it discussed her love interest being there for her even during the worst of times. This song was one of the more melancholy-sounding songs in her album with its lower chords and slower beat.
“Baby” was my least favorite song as her lyrics seemed a bit too repetitive. Compared to the other songs in the album, I feel as if this one had the least amount of meaning to it and was meant to be more catchy. I also was not fond of the rhythm and violin-like sounds in the background.
One song in particular, “Beg For You” (feat. Rina Sawayama), sounded oddly familiar due to its chorus resembling a popular TikTok sound “you’ll never see me again.” This is a line from “Cry For You” by the artist September and was released in the early 2000s. I did enjoy this song, but it wasn’t necessarily my favorite.
She added four songs in her deluxe edition totaling 16 songs. I wouldn’t say they were my favorite, but I still enjoyed the messages she conveyed such as putting yourself first and not caring about what others think.
Charli XCX announced her album title and release date on Nov. 4, 2021, and is now on tour. She will be performing in the United Kingdom, United States and other locations in Europe.
“Crash” seems to be the last album Charli XCX will release under her current record contract with Atlantic Records. It’ll be interesting to see if she will continue with her current style or branch out even more.
Is this my new favorite album? No. Can I see myself adding a couple of these songs to my playlists? Yes, I can. Although I do enjoy the ‘80s aesthetic in her videos, along with the meaning behind her songs, I don’t think I would listen to these songs on repeat.