Charli XCX – Number 1 Angel

Charli XCX's Number 1 Angel arrived in March 2017 as her third mixtape, a ten-track release that caught her in a restless, in-between moment after Sucker and before her next full studio album. Rather than smoothing out her pop instincts, it leans into them from a sharper angle, pairing club-ready hooks with a more synthetic, left-field production style and a cast of collaborators drawn from the same fast-moving pop underground around her.

The record’s appeal is in how clearly it captures Charli refining that direction in real time. Songs like “Dreamer,” “Babygirl,” and “Lipgloss” show how comfortably she works with guests including RAYE, Starrah, Uffie, ABRA, MØ and CupcakKe, while still keeping the mixtape centred on her voice and instincts. Across its short running time, Number 1 Angel moves between tropical bounce, cavernous electronics and trap-leaning pop, making it feel less like a stopgap release than a snapshot of Charli testing ideas that would become central to the next phase of her catalogue.

This 2026 vinyl issue finally brings that 2017 mixtape back into physical form on LP, which matters for a release that has long felt like a key part of Charli XCX’s evolution rather than a side note. If you know the later records, this is where a lot of that attitude and musical shape starts coming into focus.

Reviews

• The otherwise delightful “Babygirl” exhumes trash-rapper Uffie from Charli XCX’s teenage dreams - Pitchfork
• her brilliantly eccentric new mixtape Number 1 Angel, fusing trap and syrupy europop - The Guardian