Charli XCX really struck us all like lightning with her fifth studio album titled ‘CRASH’ which she released earlier this month (produced by A.G Cook among others and includes collaborations from Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polacheck, and Christine and the Queens).

 

With this album, Charli somehow managed to perfectly represent the obvious eighties, Janet Jackson inspired sound whilst simultaneously creating an undeniably futuristic pop record. My respect never falters for artists who seem to shift genre every time they put out an album, and charli is no exception - with five studio albums ranging from R&B and hip-hop to alternative pop and electronic, she proves time and time again that her artistic capability is boundless. 

 

Her infamous ‘I’m interested in the concept of selling out’ tweet obviously influenced this album as she pumps out seemingly made for radio tunes whilst simultaneously bashing the industry for exploiting young female artists and moulding them into pure pop products.

 

Literary influences from Britney Spears are evident in (my personal favourite track) ‘Lightning’ due to Spears’ co-producer of ‘...baby one more time’ co-writing the track on XCX’s album. The fact that this album was able to crash into the charts at number one is especially sentimental as it is dedicated to Charli’s collaborator, producer, and longtime friend, SOPHIE who tragically passed away in early 2021.