Pop 2 (mixtape)

Pop 2 is the fourth mixtape by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2017 by Asylum Records.[7] Executive produced by A.G. Cook of PC Music, sessions for the mixtape began just several months before its release and featured a wide variety of guest contributions.[8] The project received acclaim from music critics, and was backed by the single "Out of My Head" featuring Alma and Tove Lo.

Pop 2
Mixtape by
Charli XCX
Released15 December 2017
RecordedJune; September–November 2017[1]
Genre
Length40:26
LabelAsylum
Producer
Charli XCX chronology
Number 1 Angel
(2017)		 Pop 2
(2017)		 Charli
(2019)
Singles from Pop 2
  1. "Out of My Head"
    Released: 8 December 2017

Background

Recording for Pop 2 began in September 2017, just two months before the mixtape was to be completed, with Charli reaching out to producer and PC Music founder A.G. Cook to suggest they work on a new project following their previous mixtape Number 1 Angel (2017) appointing him as executive producer.[3] Cook stated that "we wanted it to feel like a complete restart in terms of the image and style of it" in comparison to their previous project.[3] The majority of recording took place in Alicia Keys' old New York studio, with other sessions occurring in London.[3] Charli extensively utilized auto-tune, which Cook experimented with and manipulated on particular tracks. She stated that "the mixtape is in this very free, fast, and experimental world. But it's also still intended to be pop. It's what I naturally gravitate towards."[3]

Charli XCX explained the decision to put out Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 as mixtapes instead of studio albums in a 2019 interview with The Fader:

Maybe I just wasn't sure people wanted it from me, honestly. Also, I'm signed to a major label, so the second you call something an album, there's all this stress and fear and pressure and scheduling. They're like, "Oh, she's putting an album out. When's Ed Sheeran releasing his album? We got to make sure it doesn't go anywhere near that," and all that. It's like a schedule. The second you just change the language to mixtape, nobody cares. So, I was just like, "Cool, I'm doing mixtapes then." Then it was just like there was no kind of logistical stress, even though it's the same thing. I mean, it's 10 original songs, it's artwork, it's features, it's whatever, it's the same.[9]

The recording was to feature a contribution from rapper Lil Peep, which was shelved following his death in November.[3] The Lil Peep collaboration was later released as "Let U Down" in January 2019 by Tangerine Recordings.[10] Collaborations which appear on the record include Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen, Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar, Estonian rapper Tommy Cash, German pop singer Kim Petras and Korean-American hip hop artist Jay Park among others.[3] Charli stated that "this mixtape isn't necessarily about me – it's really about giving everybody their moment to own the song."[3]

"Track 10" was later remixed and retitled "Blame It on Your Love", which was released in May 2019 as the second single from her third studio album Charli.[11]

Singles

The first single from Pop 2, "Out of My Head" featuring Tove Lo and Alma was released on 8 December 2017 along the pre-order of the mixtape on digital platforms.[12] The song "Unlock It" featuring Kim Petras and Jay Park was premiered on 11 December 2017 on radio program Beats 1, being named its release day's World Record.[13] Another track called "I Got It" featuring Brooke Candy, Cupcakke and Pabllo Vittar was released on 13 December 2017 as the final promotional single before the mixtape's official release.[14]

The original version of the song "Track 10", titled "Blame It on Your Love" was released as a single with a featured appearance by American rapper and singer Lizzo.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[15]
Metacritic84/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundB+[17]
Crack Magazine8/10[18]
Exclaim!7/10[19]
Financial Times[20]
The Guardian[21]
NME[2]
Pitchfork8.4/10[22]
Q[23]
Spectrum Culture[24]
Tiny Mix Tapes4/5[25]

At review aggregate site Metacritic, Pop 2 has an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork, who gave the album an 8.4/10, called it "the best full-length work of both Charli and PC Music’s respective careers," opining that "though Pop 2 sounds like the future, even more delightful is the way it hybridizes sounds from the past two decades of weirdo electronics."[22] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times wrote that Charli XCX "stands out as a paragon of progressiveness," opining that "on the majority of the tracks Charli and her producer Cook deploy their meta-pop tactics with a skilful sense of dramatic engagement."[20]

In 2019, Pitchfork ranked the album 40th in its list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". In the album's entry, Hazel Cills considered it Charli XCX's "best full-length to date" and felt that throughout it, she "solidifies her mastery of the strange, wonderful new pop world she continues to build."[26]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal.[27]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Backseat" (featuring Carly Rae Jepsen)
  • EasyFun
  • Cook
3:58
2."Out of My Head" (featuring Tove Lo and Alma)
3:55
3."Lucky"
  • Charli XCX
  • Cook
  • Ö
  • Cook
  • Ö
3:35
4."Tears" (featuring Caroline Polachek)
  • Charli XCX
  • Cook
  • Caroline Polachek
Cook4:13
5."I Got It" (featuring Brooke Candy, Cupcakke and Pabllo Vittar)
  • Cook
  • umru
3:51
6."Femmebot" (featuring Dorian Electra and Mykki Blanco)
  • Cook
  • Gamson
  • EasyFun
3:38
7."Delicious" (featuring Tommy Cash)
Cook4:32
8."Unlock It" (featuring Kim Petras and Jay Park)
  • Cook
  • Life Sim
3:52
9."Porsche" (featuring MØ)
  • Cook
  • EasyFun
  • King Henry
3:26
10."Track 10"
  • Cook
  • Lil Data
  • Life Sim
5:26
Total length:40:26

Notes

  • "Track 10" is a remixed version of "Blame It on Your Love" by Charli XCX, released almost two years later
  • "Delicious" features a brief sample of Charli XCX's 2014 single "Boom Clap", with the song being depicted as a phone ringtone.

Tour
Pop 2 Tour[28][29][30]
Date City Country Venue
15 March 2018 Los Angeles United States El Rey Theatre
18 March 2018 New York City United States Elsewhere
19 June 2018 London United Kingdom Village Underground
20 June 2018 Paris France La Maroquinerie
23 October 2018 Sydney Australia The Metro

In addition to the Pop 2 performances, Charli additionally hosted and performed at numerous afterparties during the Reputation Stadium Tour during this period, further promoting the album and singles.[31][32]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[27]

Musicians

  • Charli XCX – lead vocals
  • A. G. Cook – programming (all tracks), synthesizer (6)
  • EasyFun – programming (1, 6, 9), synthesizer (6)
  • Sophie – programming (2)
  • Ö – backing vocals and programming (3)
  • David Gamson – synthesizer and programming (6)
  • Umru – programming (5)
  • Caroline Polachek – backing vocals (7)
  • Life Sim – synthesizer (8, 10)
  • King Henry – programming (9)
  • Lil Data – synthesizer (10)
  • Noonie Bao – backing vocals (10)

Production

  • A. G. Cook – executive producer, engineer (3, 5–8)
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering engineer
  • Geoff Swan – mixer
  • Noah Passovoy – engineer (2)
  • Brendan Morawski – engineer (3, 4, 6–8)
  • Stargate – vocal producers (10)

References
  1. Myers, Owen (15 December 2017). "Charli XCX and A. G. Cook explain the secrets of her ambitious new mixtape". The Fader. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  2. Daly, Rhian (18 December 2017). "Charli XCX – 'Pop 2'". NME. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  3. Owen Myers (15 December 2017). "Charli XCX and A. G. Cook explain the secrets of her ambitious new mixtape". The Fader.
  4. Gore, Sydney. "TRL's Top 20 Albums of the Year". MTV. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  5. Breihan, Tom. "Album Of The Week: Lemuria Recreational Hate". Stereogum. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  6. "Pop 2 by Charli XCX on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  7. "'Pop 2' by Charli XCX". iTunes. 15 December 2017.
  8. Stubblebine, Allison (7 December 2017). "Charli XCX Confirms 'Pop 2' Mixtape Featuring Carly Rae Jepsen, CupcakKe & More Out Next Week". Billboard.
  9. Maicki, Salvatore (19 September 2019). "Charli XCX is making space for the pop music we deserve". The Fader. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. "Tangerine — Listen". Tangerine Recordings. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  11. "Charli XCX - "Blame It On Your Love" (Feat. Lizzo)". Stereogum. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  12. Nied, Mike (8 December 2017). "Charli XCX, Tove Lo & ALMA's "Out Of My Head" Is A Glistening Bop". Idolator. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  13. Rettig, James (11 December 2017). "Charli XCX – "Unlock It" (Feat. Kim Petras And Jay Park)". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  14. Patrick Hosken (13 December 2017). "Charli XCX's 'I Got It' Is The Weirdest, Most Exciting Peek At Her New Mixtape". MTV News.
  15. "Pop 2 by Charli XCX reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  16. "Pop 2 [Mixtape] by Charli XCX Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  17. Geffen, Sasha (22 December 2017). "Charli XCX – Pop 2". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  18. Ma, Nathan. "Charli XCX – 'Pop 2'". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  19. Gormely, Ian (19 December 2017). "Charli XCX: Pop 2". Exclaim!. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  20. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (15 December 2017). "Charli XCX: Pop 2 — 'challenging musical terrain'". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  21. Petridis, Alexis (4 January 2018). "Charli XCX: Pop 2 review – kick-ass hits from a parallel universe". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  22. Garvey, Meaghan (20 December 2017). "Charli XCX: Pop 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  23. Robinson, Peter (March 2018). "Charli XCX: Pop 2". Q (382): 115.
  24. Bromfield, Daniel (1 January 2018). "Charli XCX: Pop 2". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  25. Hannah, Sean. "Charli XCX – Pop 2". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  26. Pitchfork staff (8 October 2019). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  27. "Pop 2 – Charli XCX". Tidal. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  28. "CHARLI XCX on Instagram: "💜 POP 2 LONDON & POP 2 PARIS. 19TH & 20TH JUNE. WITH SPECIAL GUESTS. TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 💜"". Retrieved 18 June 2019 – via Instagram.
  29. "CHARLI XCX on Instagram: "💜 POP 2 SHOWS. LA & NY. MARCH 15 & MARCH 18. LOTS OF SPECIAL GUESTS. TICKETS ON FRIDAY 💜"". Retrieved 18 June 2019 – via Instagram.
  30. "CHARLI XCX on Instagram: "POP 2 SYDNEY 💜 OCTOBER 23RD 💜 TICKETS ON SALE NEXT WEDNESDAY 💜‬"". Retrieved 18 June 2019 – via Instagram.
  31. "CHARLI XCX on Instagram: "💕 CALLING ALL ANGELS FROM ATLANTA, MIAMI, MINNEAPOLIS, NEW ORLEANS & HOUSTON!! I WANNA PARTY WITH U!!! I'M THROWING A PARTY IN UR CITY WITH…"". Instagram. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  32. "Charli XCX Throws Late-Night Party in New York After Taylor Swift Show: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
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