Pop 2 (mixtape)


Pop 2 is the fourth mixtape by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2017 by Asylum Records. 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. The project received acclaim from music critics, and was backed by the single "Out of My Head" featuring Alma and Tove Lo.

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 appointing him as executive producer. 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. The majority of recording took place in Alicia Keys' old New York studio, with other sessions occurring in London. 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."
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.

The recording was to feature a contribution from rapper Lil Peep, which was shelved following his death in November. The Lil Peep collaboration was later released as "Let U Down" in January 2019 by Tangerine Recordings. 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. Charli stated that "this mixtape isn't necessarily about me – it's really about giving everybody their moment to own the song."
"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.

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. 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. 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.
The song "Track 10" was later remixed and released as a single featuring American rapper and singer Lizzo as "Blame It on Your Love".

Critical reception

At review aggregate site Metacritic, Pop 2 has an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". 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." 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."
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."

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal.
Notes
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.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.
Musicians
Production