CHARLI XCX
Crash (Atlantic)
She’s always been candid in her love for all things 90s. “My first big obsession was The Spice Girls, but there was also Shampoo, All Saints, Aqua” a 21-year-old Charli XCX told Manchester Evening News. The fifth full length Charli XCX album Crash is very much as it is described, an onomatopoeia reflecting the record’s pop intensity, rolling off 80s and 90s influenced hits.
The title track features a funky controlled rhythm guitar and a crowning, Prince-style solo. Beg For You, featuring Rina Sawayama, samples 2005 club hit Cry For You by September while managing to not sway too far from the hyperpop style of pitchshifted vocals and maximalism through gritty basslines and vibrant drums.
The fizzy New Shapes demonstrates the versatility of Charli and her collaborators. Caroline Polachek’s almost yodel-like register and Christine And The Queens’ airy presence complement each other. The album’s strongest moment, Constant Repeat, is suitably positioned in the running order, and while Crash starts to trail off at the end slightly, Yuck diverts this with wobbly 808s and Whitney-esque digital handclaps.
words EMMA WAY
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