I was listening to this one in the complete wrong frame of mind: my work laptop has been playing up, and I popped the new Charli XCX album on to lighten the mood while I was getting my replacement setup … except that it ended up being the backing track to even more frustration as the new laptop started doing the same things as the old one.

As a result, I found it hard to make myself actually put the album on because I didn’t want my mood affecting how I thought of the album.

I was a big fan of Charli XCX’s album from early 2021 – a mashup of her own work with contributions from fans that was recorded during lockdown, forcing her to make some musical choices that were a little unorthodox, but they worked. Crash is a much more traditional release comparatively, and I think it suffers a little because of it.

It’s a decent album – highlighted by the Rina Sawayama-featuring “Beg For You”, which is probably the best song on here. There are really great moments throughout. For example, there is a breakdown in the song “Baby” that is dark and rich in emotional texture. But Crash is a fairly straightforward electro-pop album. A good one, sure. But not as good as her last album.

(Note: this opinion may change once I have a working laptop.)

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CLTM (Chris Listens To Music) is my attempt to listen to a new album every day; you can follow my efforts on Instagram here (and send recommendations), and if you like what I’m doing, support my efforts by shouting me a cuppa at Buy Me A Coffee.