After months of anticipation, Charli XCX has finally released her fifth studio album, CRASH. The follow-up to her lockdown record, How I’m Feeling Now, the 12-track collection has received universal critical acclaim for the pop icon’s sharp songwriting and the crisp production, as well as its critique on major record labels. In celebration of its release (its set to become her first UK chart-topper), GAY TIMES has ranked all seven of our former cover star’s releases to date, from her fan-favourite debut True Romance all the way to CRASH.
7. Sucker (2014)
Standout tracks: Famous, Breaking Up, Doing It
As Charli’s most commercially successful album, becoming her first (and only) record to chart in the top 40 in the United States (sacrilege!), Sucker’s placement here is pretty ironic. Despite ranking in last place, the album is filled to the brim with pop earworms. Inspired by bands such as The Donnas, Shampoo and Bikini Kill, Charli’s sophomore release saw the singer ditch the synthpop stylings of her debut for “very shouty, girl-power” pop-punk anthems centering around teenage angst such as Break the Rules, Breaking Up and Famous, as well as electropop tunes Doing It (feat. Rita Ora), Boom Clap (her only solo top 10 hit in the US) and Die Tonight (underrated). With pop-punk making a comeback with hits from Olivia Rodrigo, Willow Smith and GAYLE, Charli was – as always – ahead of her time. There are a couple album cuts that drag Sucker down, however, with London Queen, a Ramones-inspired new-wave track where Charli declares that she’s, well, a “London Queen”, and So Over You, an electro break-up bop that sounds great on paper but doesn’t quite reach its full potential. Although Sucker is often overlooked in her discography by fans, we’re putting it out there: we’re here for a sequel.
6. True Romance (2013)
Standout tracks: Nuclear Seasons, You (Ha Ha Ha), Set Me Free (Feel My Pain)
Placing True Romance at six on any list feels like blasphemy. But it’s Charli versus Charli, so, whatever. Released in 2013 to praise from critics, the singer’s debut album is one of her most cohesive and personal bodies of work; diving into “every corner” of her “romantic history” (at the time). Exploring genres such as synthpop and dark wave, True Romance – named after the Quentin Tarantino-written drama of the same name – is, quite literally, the perfect record to blast whilst munching on mushrooms in summertime Amsterdam (if that’s your kind of thing) thanks to psychedelic cuts like Nuclear Seasons, You (Ha Ha Ha) and Cloud Aura (feat. Brooke Candy). There’s some more straightforward pop moments, however, in Take My Hand, Black Roses and, our personal favourite, Set Me Free (Feel My Pain), which boasts one of the most euphoric choruses in Charli’s discography. While a lot of artists’ debuts aren’t… fully realised, we’ll say that, True Romance is an expertly crafted collection of glossy earworms brimming with Charli’s signature quirks. And, most importantly, it has stood the test of time. Nine years later, True Romance still sounds fresh as hell.
5. Charli (2019)
Standout tracks: Gone, Click, Shake It
“I go hard, I go fast and I never look back. I go speeding on the highway, burn rubber, no crash,” perfectly set the stage for Charli’s self-titled third album. A blend of various genres such as radio-friendly pop (1999), hyperpop (Click) and futurepop (2099) – all the pop’s – Charli truly felt like an amalgamation of the star’s career up until that point. Because of this, it isn’t necessarily her most consistent record, but it does include some of her finest ballads in I Don’t Wanna Know, White Mercedes and February 2017 (with Clairo and Yaeji), as well as uptempo numbers in Gone (with Christine and the Queens), Click (with Kim Petras and Tommy Cash) and Shake It (with Big Freedia, CupcakKe, Brooke Candy and Pabllo Vittar). The latter, especially, is a career highlight and deserved the video treatment. (Imagine?!) We were concerned that the plethora of guest artists would outshine Charli, but make no mistake: this is Charli’s from start to finish. Other than its lack of cohesiveness, our only other complaint is the length of February 2017 and the Lizzo-assisted reworking of Pop 2’s Track 10. We are all for recycling. But, in this case… Charli and Lizzo could’ve done better.
4. How I’m Feeling Now (2020)
Standout tracks: claws, 7 years, anthems
How I’m Feeling Now is experimental, hyperpop perfection. Conceived in the span of six weeks during the first COVID lockdown, Charli collaborated with fans throughout the process; sharing demos over Zoom calls and private conversations with producers to receive feedback on ideas, artwork and even titles of the songs. More experimental than self-titled, How I’m Feeling Now expands on the sounds of her mixtapes but with even more grit. At times, it’s absolutely unhinged. Pink Diamond, Anthems and Visions are massive Eurotrance club anthems that, when looking at the current slate of pop artists in the charts, only Charli could pull off. Despite all the pulsating, hard beats, the album is quite… sweet? Lead single Forever is a robotic, True Romance-esque ballad about everlasting love, 7 Years (with BJ Burton) celebrates her relationship with on-and-off boyfriend Huck Kwong and Enemy sees the star tell a lover that he could “do a little damage” now she’s showcased vulnerability. We’ve talked about cohesiveness quite a lot in this ranking, but out of all seven of Charli’s offerings (so far), How I’m Feeling Now is arguably her most consistent record. Initially, we were disappointed that lockdown restricted Charles from embarking on a full promotional rollout with big-budget music videos and performances, but the DIY aspect of How I’m Feeling Now is what makes it feel so special – and the ultimate lockdown collection.
3. Number 1 Angel (2017)
Standout tracks: Babygirl, Drugs, Lipgloss
Released to bridge the five-year gap between her second and third studio albums, Number 1 Angel publicly transformed Charli from an expert at radio-friendly hits such as I Love It (with Icona Pop) and Fancy (with Iggy Izalea) to a daring, futuristic pop connoisseur. Aided by producers from her Vroom Vroom EP, such as A.G. Cook and the late SOPHIE, as well as Danny L Harle, the mixtape includes some of the singer’s sharpest songwriting assisted with avant-garde beats that felt rare for an artist as mainstream as Charli. While she already had a devoted fanbase, it was Number 1 Angel that propelled Charli to superstardom and cemented her ‘icon’ status amongst pop listeners (and the queers, especially) – even if the critical acclaim wasn’t necessarily reflected on the charts (the project failed to reach the top 100 in the UK due to lack of support from her label). It’s doubtful that any of the tracks would’ve topped the charts due to their experimental nature, but it would’ve been great if Charli’s label at least let her try.
2. CRASH (2022)
Charli’s most recent offering, CRASH, is – simply put – an absolute triumph. A departure from her previous hyperpop offerings, the album eschews more into powerpop and 80s synthpop with elements of eurodance, disco and UK garage. After six projects, and more than decade after she started her career, CRASH marks the first time Charli leans into her full potential as a bonafide pop star – but she’s done it on her own terms. As the final album in her record deal with Atlantic, the star has created a concept album about playing “the game” and conforming to a major label’s perception of a pop artist by becoming an “evil” version of herself. We’ll admit, it’s not Charli’s most innovative work but, when the songs are this brilliant, who gives a damn? Lead single Good Ones sees Charli’s abilities as a radio-friendly lyricist on full display, while she gives the gays everything they want in the accompanying music video with intricate choreo on the grave of a former lover. Follow-up singles such as New Shapes (with Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek), Beg For You (with Rina Sawayama) and Baby are equally as infectious, especially the funk-pop latter, which was inspired by Janet Jackson’s iconic third album Control. As is the case with any Charli album, however, the standouts are the ones she (or her label) haven’t picked as singles: Constant Repeat, Lightning and Used to Know Me. The latter, which samples Robin S’s mammoth house hit Show Me Love, could potentially top the UK charts – if Atlantic don’t mess it up, that is. Overall, CRASH is pop perfection and we would like to listen to until we die.
1. Pop 2
Standout tracks: I Got It, Femmebot, Unlock It (Lock It)
It honestly couldn’t be any other album in the top spot, could it? While we don’t doubt that, one day, Charli will release an album that replaces Pop 2 at number one – because she’s one of the best pop stars of her generation (or any generation) – for now it remains undefeated. Arriving minutes after the release of Number 1 Angel, Pop 2 expanded on its predecessor’s exploration of hyperpop and PC with an even bigger roster of fan-favourite pop talent including Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, Alma, Caroline Polachek, Brooke Candy, CupakKe, Dorian Electra, Pabllo Vittar, Kim Petras and MØ. Again, it would’ve been easy for Charli to be outshined by her collaborators, but this is entirely her show. That said, it’s not her most personal collection, but the album as a whole feels bigger than her. With its glitchy “pots and pans” beats and unconventional structure, it’s almost like Charli plucked the album out of the future. Hot take: it’s also futuristic because of Charli’s inclusiveness. With the aforementioned names lending their vocals, particularly Pabllo, Kim and Dorian, Pop 2 is queer from start to finish. There’s so much we could say about the album, but we’ll end this ranking with a bold statement, a statement that is not up for debate: Pop 2 is one of the greatest pop albums in history.
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