As Charli XCX releases new material from her upcoming Wuthering Heights soundtrack, we take a deep dive into the artist's most significant musical creations that have defined her frank, futuristic approach to pop music.
The Evolution of a Pop Innovator
Beginning our countdown at number 20 is Claws from 2020, a track born during the unique circumstances of her How I'm Feeling Now album creation. The song's very title was decided by fan vote, reflecting Charli's innovative approach to audience engagement. While many lockdown-era songs captured anxiety and isolation, Claws celebrated being confined with a loved one, though its clanking rhythm introduced an underlying tension.
At position 19 sits the legendary Taxi from 2016, one of approximately 260 unreleased Charli XCX tracks circulating online. Originally intended for the scrapped XCX World album, this track exemplifies the artist's collaborative genius with producer Sophie, delivering a hilarious narrative about a disastrous midweek blind date that spirals out of control.
The recent single Apple (2024) claims the 18th spot, representing the poppiest moment on her Brat album. Nearly discarded during recording sessions, this bubblegum melody carries surprisingly weighty lyrics about strained family relationships and intergenerational trauma. The track achieved remarkable success, spawning a viral TikTok dance trend while earning a Grammy nomination.
Collaborative Brilliance and Career Highlights
At number 17, New Shapes (2021) features both Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek over fierce 80s-inspired electro production. While some viewed her Crash album as an attempt to conform to mainstream pop conventions, tracks like this demonstrate her ability to elevate conventional formats with distinctive collaborators.
Roll With Me (2017) occupies the 16th position, showcasing why fans often considered Charli's mixtapes superior to her official albums. Producer Sophie provides relentless kick-drum beats and spiky electronics, while Charli delivers attitude-laden pop intelligence that would influence countless artists.
For evidence of Charli's distinctive vision from the beginning, Nuclear Seasons (2011) at number 15 mixes relationship turmoil with post-apocalyptic imagery and decaying pop culture references, all set to doomy 80s synth-pop revivalism that remains incredibly catchy.
The Brat Era and Beyond
The swaggering 360 (2024) lands at number 14, serving as both a declaration of Brat-era confidence and a superb pop composition. Its defiant lyrics - "I went my own way and I made it / I'm your favourite reference, baby" - established the tone for her most commercially successful era.
At number 13, I Got It (2017) from the Pop 2 mixtape represents Charli's visionary approach to collaboration. Featuring extravagantly foul-mouthed rapper Cupcakke, Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar, and pansexual artist Brooke Candy, the track creates a thrillingly futuristic musical landscape.
The surprising House (2025) from her forthcoming Wuthering Heights soundtrack takes the 12th spot, defying expectations with its warped electronic homage to the Velvet Underground. Complete with drones, noise shards, and a guest appearance from John Cale, the track builds to a furious industrial climax.
Club Classics (2024) at number 10 captures the manic euphoria of small-hours clubbing like few other songs in pop history. Its chaotic, relentless energy celebrates complete abandon with lyrics about sweat-marked clothes and being blinded by lights.
The Top Tier: Career-Defining Masterpieces
At number 9, Gone (2019) featuring Christine and the Queens transforms social anxiety into anthemic pop brilliance. The track moves from brooding verses about hating people to an explosive, cathartic chorus that provides powerful emotional release.
The magnificent Backseat (2017) with Carly Rae Jepsen claims the 8th position, representing what might have been from their drunken plans to create a full album together. The song perfectly merges breakup themes with commentary on celebrity alienation.
At number 7, Anthems (2020) perfectly encapsulates those overwhelming lockdown moments when the desire to "go out, blow off some steam, get fucked up" became unbearable. Its intense, almost chaotic sound reflects the mental state of pandemic confinement.
The career-changing Boom Clap (2014) takes the 6th spot, originally intended for Hilary Duff before becoming Charli's first US Top 10 hit and the highlight of her Sucker album. Despite her current dislike for the track, its catchy chorus and pulsing synths remain impressively classy.
At number 5, Next Level Charli (2019) brilliantly subverts expectations by pairing music that suggests a dreamy 80s ballad with gobby, playground-chant stridency in the vocals, creating a paean to her dedicated fanbase.
The infectious Von Dutch (2024) lands at number 4, rumoured to be a diss track aimed at FKA twigs but functioning more as an expression of supreme self-confidence from an artist hitting her imperial phase.
At number 3, Vroom Vroom (2015) now feels like the birth of Charli XCX 2.0, though it received mixed reviews upon release. This collaboration with PC Music affiliate Sophie harnessed her songwriting skills to skeletal, avant-pop sounds that proved incredibly prescient.
The remarkable Girl, So Confusing (2024) claims the runner-up position, elevating the typical pop star feud narrative into something genuinely moving. The original version's depiction of a fraught relationship with Lorde, accompanied by fizzing synths, gained even more depth when Lorde herself appeared on the remix to answer criticisms and explain her personal struggles.
Topping our list at number 1 is the magnificent Track 10 (2017) from her Pop 2 mixtape. Despite its placeholder title and status as a demo remix (later reworked into Blame It on Your Love with Lizzo), this epic ballad represents Charli XCX at her most innovative and emotionally affecting. The lyrics capture drunken confessions from someone destroying a relationship through insecurity, while theoretically alienating electronics - glitches, distortion, excessive AutoTune, and icy rave synths - somehow amplify the track's powerful emotional impact.
