It’s been three and a half years since Charli XCX dropped her sophomore album, “Sucker,” and while she hasn’t released an official third full-length, she’s dropped a boxed set’s worth of songs via two mixtapes (“Pop 2” and “Number 1 Angel”), an EP (“Vroom Vroom”), several singles (including the hit “Boys”), and so many guest appearances — Rita Ora’s “Girls” with Cardi B and Bebe Rexha, Tove Lo’s “Bitches” with Alma, Icona Pop and Elliphant, as well as Lil Xan’s “Moonlight” — that it would take all day to recap them all. And while a third album remains unscheduled, she’ll be releasing songs throughout the summer and two of them arrived this morning: “Focus” and “No Angel.” The new tracks come on the heels of “5 in the Morning,” which dropped in May.
The “Boom Clap” singer collaborated with longtime music partner A.G. Cook, as well as Swedish producer duo Jack and Coke, for “Focus.” The song debuted in May at the FORM Festival prior to its official distribution. “No Angel” comes from producers Invisible Men and Sophie, the latter of whom collaborated with Charli on “Vroom Vroom” and other tracks.
For her 2017 single “Boys,” the singer also took on the role of casting director, director, and producer for the accompanying music video, which featured many musicians, including Stormzy, Mark Ronson, Diplo, Joe Jonas, Brendon Urie, will.i.am, and Riz Ahmed.
