An exquisite burst of irreverent and cheeky pop energy replete with genre mashups that zips merrily along under the power of its own seemingly effortless wit, Number 1 Angel is a clear reminder of why Charli XCX is so deeply necessary to us all.
"You're the one, you're the one, you're the one
Who gets my head so f***ed up
You're the one, you're the one, you're the one
Who makes me scream
Even though, even though, even though
It hurts what you put me through
Holdin' on, holdin' on, holdin' on, holdin' on..."
On "3am," featuring MO, of whose brilliance I have previously expounded, Charli reconfirms that she most certainly gets it. It's not the only eloquent reflection on the pleasure/pain dichotomy of heartbroken love on the mixtape by a long shot, since we also get the soulful "Blame it on You," the brisk and perky "Roll with Me," and the sweet-sour seduction of "Emotional," which canvas the topic with great aplomb.
"We had something that never happened /
if only we had lost control..."
Perfect.
Then there's the ode to introverted confessionals, "ILY2," which finds Charli stating, "I don't talk a lot / so you should listen up," hence basically summarizing my existence in one line.
Sticking mostly to the tough bubblegum feel of her previous work, with a bit more of the grit found in True Romance as opposed to the sometimes more attitude-fueled Sucker, Number 1 Angel strikes the ideal balance between the versions of Charli's sound we've heard in the past. If the slinkily shameless "Drugs" feels a bit superficial, it's only because the rest of the mixtape is that vastly superior. If this is what Charli XCX calls a mixtape, I can only anticipate her next official album to be quite fiercely exceptional.
