Charli
by Charli xcx
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Sep 13, 2019
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 696 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 619 out of 696
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 696
  3. Negative: 57 out of 696
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  1. SkinnyModel
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    Look at how she ate that! the wait for this album was so worth it and Charli should be proud. every song was strong and contains that distinct new Charli style which her fans love and I can guarantee new listeners will too. BUY/STREAM CHARLI NOW! F**K MARINA LIVES
  2. BMG
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    Her best album so far. It reminisces her past works, like Pop 2, True Romance, Number 1 Angel, yet it has its own vibe.

    It's a rollercoaster of emotions. Sonically, it's a great experience, full of unexpected sounds and feelings that give you goosebumps (in the good way).

    Experimental, yet a pop masterpiece. Cheesy, melancholic
  3. Needles666
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A perfectly crafted album, that makes seamless the connection between her electropop sensibilites and her avant-garde artistry. The 15-track record positions her as one of the most interesting female artists of our time in the leagues of art-pop queen Lorde, avant-garde/electronic pioneer fka twigs and experimental synth pop icon Grimes. The album shows and extensive array of influences but she manages to make it all work together and delivers a more diverse and fresh sensation than her previous records. The album opener seems like the perfect intro to the album, it's bold and agressive, featuring dreamy synths and a harsh electronic-experimental beat over Charli's autotuned vocals belting in a hip hop inspired flow. Gone ft christine and the queens is probably the best song on the album, showcasing both her hitmaker pop chops and her more progressive take on music, the production feautres characteristics from 80s synthpop sounds mixed with futuristic quasi robotic sounds and vocal production. Cross you out ft sky is a vulnerable song, featuring industrial synths, slow beats and Sky's dreamy vocals which sort of feels like a sedated version of The Cure gone electro. Click ft kim and tommy is a daring collaboration blending hip hop structure with noisy and experimental beats. Warm ft haim founds Charli as her sofest self, featuring dream pop synths, underwater quasi-worldbeat and lucsious harmonies with unique avant garde vocal production. Thoughts (probably my fave song from the album) finds Charli in her most vulnerable persona, the production of the song recalls Bowie's low with the drone inflected synth and minimal electronic beat. White Mercedes is probably one of the most commercial appealing songs, her lyrics are intimate and the production is a synthpop majesty. Silver Cross is an icy produced song, with lush synths and fueled brassy electronic beats. I don't wanna know echoes and 80s prom, with and arena-rock infused metallic slow beat. Official showcases Charli's most romantic side, featuring production that at times reminds me of Kate bush with the fairy, childlike soundscapes and the electronic harp. Shake ft big freedia, cupcakke, brooke candy and pablo vittar is the ultimate strip-club anthem, it's probably the most avant-pop song from the record, containing bold and hyper experimental production. The closing tracks, february 2017 ft clairo and yaeji and 2099 ft troye are similar in production, keeping the experimental vibe of the album but with a more sedated feel to it. Surprisingly, the first singles 1999 ft troye, a nostalgic 90s inspired eurodance-pop track and blame it on your love ft lizzo, a rework from the acclaimed track 10, consisting of production that feels as M.I.A going pop, with a fusion on wordleabt and r&b are the most noncohesive and weakest tracks of the record but still they are fun, danceable tracks that are meant to have a good time rather than appreacting their craftmanship. Overall, and exciting and innovative album.… Expand
  4. DanielBV
    Sep 13, 2019
    9
    This is the future of Pop music, the album is complete, personal and very innovative, simply a perfect masterpiece, definitely Charli XCX best album.
  5. lxnelymanU7_y
    Sep 14, 2019
    9
    Charli is the album of the year this have much styles to give us and is potentially one of the decade
  6. antonioalvimar
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    The charli album is manifested by its electrifying, synthesized beats, crosses your mind and travels through lyrics laden with your romanticism, something as personal as possible to the artist she is. PC music keeps discovering new paths and showing us how much music can still evolve. This is universal!
  7. okcestsuper
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    for me this album is pop perfection. all the guests bring something really special. charli xcx is the futur of pop music
  8. MariaEduardaM
    Sep 14, 2019
    8
    Charli XCX on another of her groundbreaking pop travels, post modern and futuristic she certainly has contact with aliens.
  9. loonaoutsold
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, **** on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.
  10. lennoxxx
    Sep 14, 2019
    9
    This album is very next level and is ahead of its time. The negative feedback it's receiving is from people who think challenging the pop music formula automatically makes for bad art. Charli knows how to push the boundaries of pop while remaining true to herself, and that's very evident in this album. I'd give it a 9 because it sometimes lacks cohesion (looking at you 1999), but it's anThis album is very next level and is ahead of its time. The negative feedback it's receiving is from people who think challenging the pop music formula automatically makes for bad art. Charli knows how to push the boundaries of pop while remaining true to herself, and that's very evident in this album. I'd give it a 9 because it sometimes lacks cohesion (looking at you 1999), but it's an incredibly strong pop album, palatable enough for the GP, and a great way to break her five year hiatus since SUCKER.… Expand
  11. s1cks4dw0rld
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Charli is here to stay! This solidifies her as a pop enigma as she is able to work so well with so many genres. Her stand out tracks are Official, White Mercedes, Click and Shake It. She can not only hold her own on many of the solo tracks, but the features are very welcome.
  12. miguel6
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    After a long wait the third album of Charli is here. A mixture of collab and solo songs with amazing sounds thanks to ag cook.
  13. Eshiewolf
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Literally an emotional rollercoaster that will make you addicted, each one of the songs has such a good feel to it! Once you have a listen it’s not gonna stop. She’s actually worked so hard and it clearly shows!
  14. zahyisosanka
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    чарли секси секс спасает муз.индустрию
  15. michaelxvi
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Absolute perfection! Sonically so detailed and experimental, some stuff that even us PC Music lovers can't recreate with a DAW or synthesizer! Charli is an innovator of pop music in this decade.
  16. maxic
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    This album is such a rollercoaster; from the depths of isolation in 'Gone', guilt in 'White Mercedes' and sadness in 'I Don't Wanna Know', to the heights of party anthems like 'Next Level Charli' and 'Click' - throughout the chaos and the whirlwind there is a sound and a cohesiveness in every track that can only be described as distinctly Charli XCX. An incredible album, and a great (ifThis album is such a rollercoaster; from the depths of isolation in 'Gone', guilt in 'White Mercedes' and sadness in 'I Don't Wanna Know', to the heights of party anthems like 'Next Level Charli' and 'Click' - throughout the chaos and the whirlwind there is a sound and a cohesiveness in every track that can only be described as distinctly Charli XCX. An incredible album, and a great (if long-awaited) success for Charli herself. Also **** spam bots you're not gonna keep this album's score down.… Expand
  17. ZaddyXCX
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    It’s no secret Charli’s music is always some mixture of party and emo (see: her entire discography; particularly Pop2 and unreleased album of the millennium XCX World) sometimes it’s more party, sometimes it’s more emo but always a combination of the two. Charli the album, doesn’t have as many poppin/club ready/catchy moments as I’d hoped there would be (possibly because I haven’t listenedIt’s no secret Charli’s music is always some mixture of party and emo (see: her entire discography; particularly Pop2 and unreleased album of the millennium XCX World) sometimes it’s more party, sometimes it’s more emo but always a combination of the two. Charli the album, doesn’t have as many poppin/club ready/catchy moments as I’d hoped there would be (possibly because I haven’t listened to it enough for some songs to catch on) I feel this way because the songs don’t provoke my fantasies and teleport me to another dimension/take me to a different planet a la Unlock it & Femmebot; or make me simultaneously sob my eyes out while dancing in ecstasy in the club a la Out of My Head & Backseat; however it wouldn’t be totally fair to solely judge by comparing this body of work with my all time favorite songs or my all time favorite album but rather rate it for what it is, a new, different, independent body of work. Which is admittedly hard because Charli really feels like a continuation of Pop2, kind of like a cross between Marina’s Love & Fear and CRJ’s Side B follow up to EMOTION. What Charli lacks in party, it makes up for in emo. Just because this album tips the scale to the emo side more than previous efforts, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its fair share of party & flex moments. Gone is a emo club read dance-bop, 2099 is pop music’s flex version of ASMR, Silver Cross and NLC are great solo bops which were kinda rare to be released until the monthly singles drops last year, Warm and February 2017 have that soft cerebral production that I will never get enough of. 1999 & BIOYL are super fun and something even the locals will get into...Tbh I seriously should dock some points for the decision to not include Come to My Party on the album, we were really robbed of that brilliant masterpiece... but then the Russian bots and Swifties win … Expand
  18. zaynsfetish
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    “Charli” as a whole... talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender.. it’s amazing, no complaints. NLC, Click, Gone are my top three periodt.
  19. midnightrowboat
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Charli is a fantastic album full of pop and experimental electro bangers. The trick with Charli is people love to say that she's the popstar of the future, beaming back music, but don't let that be an excuse for you to sleep on her. She's got grimy hype tracks (Click), cute love songs (Official), ruminations on anxiety (Gone), and bops to boot (1999). With an army of collaborators eachCharli is a fantastic album full of pop and experimental electro bangers. The trick with Charli is people love to say that she's the popstar of the future, beaming back music, but don't let that be an excuse for you to sleep on her. She's got grimy hype tracks (Click), cute love songs (Official), ruminations on anxiety (Gone), and bops to boot (1999). With an army of collaborators each contributing their own little flavor, it's a testament to Charli's voice and vision how strongly her personality shows through. An apt follow up to her 2017 mixtapes "Number 1 Angel" and "Pop 2" Charli doesn't break new ground here, per se, but she is figuring out how her experimental side fits into her mainstream side. Maybe soon the world will be ready for it all at once and she'll just be the popstar of now.

    Personal Top 5: Silver Cross, Warm, February 2017, Official, Gone    … Expand
  20. trueromance
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    A pop album filled with passion, Charli is at her best here dealing with themes of heavy emotions and love loss. Simply put a career highlight!
  21. VegaXCX
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    This album is immaculate. Charli has solidified herself as the future of pop.
  22. evil_hag
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Look how she ate that.
    One of the best albums of 2019. Next Level Charli, Gone, White Mercedes, Shake it and feb. 2017 are some of the best songs
  23. LexCX
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    My favorite Charli album yet! And thoughts is my favorite song :). Hopefully all these bad not reviews will get squashed, this record is amazing
  24. noshadenoblame
    Sep 14, 2019
    8
    Definitely a progressive piece of pop. Charli has yet to fail to push boundaries while still being semi-radiofriendlym
  25. REALITI
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Библия. Создала молитвы. Каждая песня f*cking хит. Silver Cross отвал всего живого. Ждем клип на 2099.… Expand
  26. ixaac
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    absolutly amazing luv and its onna perriodt i just thing its amazing oh so amazing the nternational and socia as well as artisitic implications of this album and the amazing features wow wow wow
  27. C001
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Almost definitely the best album of the year and maybe even the decade. This album really just shows Charlis absolute power as well as her insanely talented collaborators. I am so incredibly proud of Charli for releasing this. I really loved the duality better Charlis solo songs that were more personal and toned down compared to every other song that has a collab being absolute bangers.Almost definitely the best album of the year and maybe even the decade. This album really just shows Charlis absolute power as well as her insanely talented collaborators. I am so incredibly proud of Charli for releasing this. I really loved the duality better Charlis solo songs that were more personal and toned down compared to every other song that has a collab being absolute bangers. Thus was yet another album that will be in the history books for being the basis of music 100 years from now. There wasn't a single moment of this album where it wasnt emotional amd it'd have to be thanks to the incredible writing, vocals, and production that went into this album. You can really tell a lot of effort and love went into this album, and thats what makes this album stand out from any single other pop star that there will be in the mainstream up until the year 2099.… Expand
  28. johnnymd
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    Literally not a single skip! Shake it and Click are my faves I love the chaos in both songs.
  29. KYSferreira
    Sep 15, 2019
    10
    Modern Classic, Reinvention of Pop, Innovation, The Best Album You Will Hear This Year... PERIOD
  30. floete
    Sep 15, 2019
    10
    The much anticipated third full length album of the British pop princess Charli XCX comes as expected after the complex mix tapes No 1 Angel/Pop2 and proves to be a worthy successor. In the tradition of collaborating with the most diverse set of artists from all over the world, Charli herself doesn't get lost in the lot. In contrary, she stands out as the familiar voice pulling everythingThe much anticipated third full length album of the British pop princess Charli XCX comes as expected after the complex mix tapes No 1 Angel/Pop2 and proves to be a worthy successor. In the tradition of collaborating with the most diverse set of artists from all over the world, Charli herself doesn't get lost in the lot. In contrary, she stands out as the familiar voice pulling everything together and making the project hers with some well placed beautiful solo tracks. The motifs of love, heartbreak and partying, added to story's of anxiety and loneliness make a very fulfilling and relatebable whole. While the production by A. G. Cook makes the music seem to be from another planet (with futuristic, robotic sounding elements and tunes), Charlis soothing voice and very much mundane feelings make you feel right at home with this album. Truly the future of Pop.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Most Discussed Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Oct 3, 2019
    80
    It’s a party album, which means it’s utopian. It’s a solo album, which means it’s rebooting. “Next Level Charli” doesn’t sound like a version we’ve never heard before; it sounds like the very same, not even accelerated but integrated, at 100% synchronization rate.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    Sep 24, 2019
    60
    It often feels as if Aitchison's nasal croon and counter-intuitive toplines are the least interesting bits of her own project. [Nov 2019, p.116]
  3. Consequence
    Sep 18, 2019
    83
    The good news is that her songwriting is stronger than ever. Along with co-executive producer A.G. Cook, Charli XCX has put together a delightful album of high-end pop confections. Charli packs in plenty of wow and proves to be more than worth the wait.
    Read full review
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