Number 1 Angel

Number 1 Angel is the third mixtape by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released on 10 March 2017 by Asylum Records. The mixtape contains ten tracks and was created in Los Angeles as a collaboration with producer A. G. Cook, the founder of PC Music.[4][5][6] Several other producers associated with the label also contributed to the mixtape, including Sophie who previously produced Charli XCX's extended play Vroom Vroom.

Number 1 Angel
Mixtape by Charli XCX
Released	March 10, 2017
Recorded	October 2016
Genre	Electropop[1] avant-pop[2] hip hop[3] dancehall[3]
Length	37:23
Label	Asylum
Producer	A. G. Cook Sophie Danny L Harle Life Sim Easy FX John Hill
Charli XCX chronology
Vroom Vroom (2016) Number 1 Angel (2017) Pop 2 (2017)

Background

In January 2017, Charli XCX stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that she was planning to release a mixtape before the release of her third album[7] saying: "I just got bored and made a load of songs, so I decided to put them out."[8] In another interview, with 93.3, she told the radio station that she recorded the mixtape in two weeks. She described it by saying, "this is more like crying into the champagne than drinking it", and compared it to her work with Sophie.[9] The mixtape was slated for a February 2017 release[9] but was pushed back due to label conflicts. Charli XCX initially recorded the mixtape without her label's permission, stating that the situation, along with the album delay, had her feeling "frustrated and annoyed".[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.2/10[11]
Metacritic	73/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The 405	8/10[13]
Crack Magazine	7/10[14]
Pitchfork	6.3/10[15]
Pretty Much Amazing	B[16]
Rolling Stone	[17]
Tiny Mix Tapes	4/5[18]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Number 1 Angel received an average score of 73, based on 5 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.[12] Frank Falisi from Tiny Mix Tapes compared the mixtape to Madonna's early works and described it as "a text for mitigating engagements."[18] At Pretty Much Amazing, Mick Jacobs stated that "Aitchison intelligently pairs her clever lyrics against beats that push genres outward, her filling in the spaces with her hooks and gigantic personality,"[16] whilst Katherine St. Asaph of Pitchfork wrote that the mixtape "is largely stolen by its guests, like Uffie and CupcakKe."[15]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Complex	The Best Albums of 2017	12	[19]
Entertainment Weekly	Best Albums of 2017	18	[20]
Crack Magazine	The Top 100 Albums of 2017	29	[21]
Noisey	The 100 Best Albums of 2017	38	[22]
Gorilla vs. Bear	Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2017	54	[23]
Rolling Stone	20 Best Pop Albums of 2017	8	[24]
Melty	Best Pop Albums of the Year	2	[25]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Spotify.[26]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Dreamer" (featuring Starrah and RAYE)	Charlotte Aitchison Alexander Guy Cook Brittany Hazzard Rachel Keen	Cook	3:58
2.	"3AM (Pull Up)" (featuring MØ)	Aitchison Cook Finn "EasyFun" Keane Karen Marie Ørsted	Easy FX	3:59
3.	"Blame It on U"	Aitchison Cook Noonie Bao	Cook	3:47
4.	"Roll with Me"	Aitchison Klas Åhlund Sophie Xeon	Sophie	3:21
5.	"Emotional"	Aitchison Patrik Berger	Easy FX	3:53
6.	"ILY2"	Aitchison Danny L Harle	Harle	3:16
7.	"White Roses"	Aitchison Cook Bao	Cook	3:33
8.	"Babygirl" (featuring Uffie)	Aitchison Amanda Warner John Hill Sarah Hudson Anna Hartley	Hill	3:53
9.	"Drugs" (featuring Abra)	Aitchison Cook Gabrielle Mirville	Cook	3:49
10.	"Lipgloss" (featuring Cupcakke)	Aitchison Cook Elizabeth Harris	Cook Sophie Life Sim	3:54
Total length:				37:23

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[27]

Musicians

• Charli XCX – lead vocals (all tracks)
• A. G. Cook – programming (tracks 1-3, 5, 7, 9, 10), synthesizer (tracks 2, 5), piano (track 5)
• Starrah – featured vocals (track 1)
• RAYE – featured vocals (track 1)
• easyFun – programming (tracks 2, 5), synthesizer (tracks 2, 5), piano (track 5)
• MØ – featured vocals (track 2)
• Sophie – programming (tracks 4, 10)
• Danny L Harle – programming (track 6)
• MNDR – backing vocals (track 8)
• Uffie – featured vocals (track 8)
• John Hill – programming (track 8)
• Jordan Orvash – keyboards (track 8)
• Abra – featured vocals (track 9)
• Cupcakke – featured vocals (track 10)
• Life Sim – synthesizer (track 10)

Production

• A. G. Cook – production (tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, 10)
• Easy FX – production (tracks 2, 5)
• Sophie – production (tracks 4, 10)
• Patrik Berger – production (track 5)
• Danny L Harle – production (track 6)
• John Hill – production (track 8)
• Life Sim – production (track 10)

Technical

• Cameron Gower Poole – engineer (tracks 1, 9)
• Stuart Hawkes – mastering engineer (all tracks)
• Geoff Swan – mixing (all tracks)
• Alex Williams – (tracks 2, 3, 7)
• Rob Cohen – engineer (track 8)
• Ryan Gilligan – engineer (track 8)

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28]	74
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[29]	67
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[30]	6
US Billboard 200[31]	175

Tour

Number 1 Angel Tour[32]

Date	City	Country	Venue
April 2, 2017	San Francisco	United States	Rickshaw
April 12, 2017	New York City	United States	Le Poisson Rouge
April 20, 2017	London	United Kingdom	Jazz Café
April 22, 2017	Paris	France	Les Étoiles

References

1. Rhian Daly (10 March 2017). "Charli XCX's 'Number 1 Angel' mixtape is more than just a stopgap between records". NME.
2. Christopher R. Weingarten (15 March 2017). "Review: Charli XCX Commits to Avant-Pop Partnership on 'Number 1 Angel'". Rolling Stone.
3. "Number 1 Angel by Charli XCX". Apple Music. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
4. Yoo, Noah (7 March 2017). "Charli XCX Announces New Mixtape Number 1 Angel". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
5. Moore, Sam (7 March 2017). "Charli XCX reveals release date of new mixtape 'Number 1 Angel'". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
6. Bilstein, Jon (7 March 2017). "Charli XCX Unveils Three Bombastic Songs From New Mixtape". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
7. Brittany Spanos (9 January 2017). "Charli XCX on Making Album She Could 'Get F--ked Up To'". Rolling Stone.
8. Kelly Ballhorn (10 March 2017). "Why Charli XCX Decided to Drop a Mixtape Ahead of Her Album". On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
9. "Charli XCX is dropping a mixtape next month!". DIY. 31 January 2017.
10. Michael Cragg (14 March 2017). "Charli XCX: the mixtape mystery and a pop career in flux". The Guardian.
11. "Number 1 Angel by Charli XCX reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
12. "Reviews and Tracks for Number 1 Angel [Mixtape] by Charli XCX". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
13. Norman-Fyfe, James (23 March 2017). "Review: Charli XCX's new mixtape Number 1 Angel proves that she is still ahead of the pop pack". The 405. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
14. Yalcinkaya, Gunseli. "Charli XCX – 'Number 1 Angel' review: Shallow but addictive". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
15. St. Asaph, Katherine (27 March 2017). "Charli XCX: Number 1 Angel". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
16. Jacobs, Mick (10 March 2017). "Review: Charli XCX, Number 1 Angel". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
17. Weingarten, Christopher R. (15 March 2017). "Review: Charli XCX Commits to Avant-Pop Partnership on 'Number 1 Angel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
18. Falisi, Frank. "Charli XCX – Number 1 Angel". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
19. "The Best Albums of 2017". Complex Magazine. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
20. "Best Albums of 2017". Entertainment Weekly. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
21. "The Top 100 Albums of 2017". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
22. "The 100 Best Albums of 2017". Noisey. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
23. "Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2017". Gorilla vs. Bear. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
24. "20 Best Pop Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone Magazine. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
25. Rajona, Wyzman (20 December 2017). "Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... Les meilleurs albums pop de l'année" [Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... The best pop albums of the year] (in French). Melty. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
26. "Number 1 Angel". Spotify. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
27. "Number 1 Angel by charli xcx". Tidal. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
28. "ARIA CHART WATCH #412". auspOp. 18 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
29. "Charli XCX Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
30. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
31. "Charli XCX Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
32. "Charli XCX Reveals Number 1 Angel Tracklist, Tour Dates". Spin. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2019.