Honestly, if you weren't there in December 2017, it’s hard to describe the absolute whiplash of hearing Pop 2 Charli XCX for the first time. We were all still vibrating from the Vroom Vroom EP, sure. But this? This was different. It wasn't just another mixtape. It was a hostile takeover of the Top 40 charts by the weird kids in the back of the class.
Critics call it the blueprint for hyperpop. Fans treat it like a religious text. But for Charli, it was basically a "forget you" to the label-mandated pop machine that wanted her to stay in the "Boom Clap" lane forever.
The Night Everything Changed
The release of Pop 2 Charli XCX didn't happen with a massive marketing budget or a Super Bowl ad. It dropped on December 15, 2017, via Asylum Records. It was her second mixtape of that year—following Number 1 Angel—and it felt like a frantic, beautiful glitch in the system.
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Executive produced by A.G. Cook, the mastermind behind PC Music, the project was less of a solo album and more of a global summit. You had Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, Caroline Polachek, Kim Petras, and Pabllo Vittar all crammed into ten tracks. It was total chaos.
Think about the opener, "Backseat."
You've got the Queen of "Call Me Maybe" (Carly Rae Jepsen) teaming up with Charli for a song that starts as a melancholy synth-pop ballad and ends in a literal industrial metal grinder. It’s abrasive. It’s loud. It’s perfect. This wasn't the "safe" pop people expected from two of the biggest names in the genre. It was a warning shot.
Why Pop 2 Charli XCX is the Ultimate Hyperpop Blueprint
People throw the word "hyperpop" around a lot now, but back then, it wasn't even a codified genre on Spotify. Pop 2 Charli XCX basically built the house that 100 gecs and PinkPantheress eventually moved into.
The production from A.G. Cook, SOPHIE, and Umru wasn't just "electronic." It was liquid. It was metallic. Songs like "I Got It" featured Brooke Candy, CupcakKe, and Pabllo Vittar over a beat that sounded like a malfunctioning printer at a rave. It shouldn't work. But because Charli understands the "math" of a pop hook better than almost anyone else in the business, it clicks.
The Track 10 Phenomenon
We have to talk about "Track 10."
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If you ask any die-hard "Angel" (that's the fanbase, if you're new here) what the best song in her discography is, nine out of ten will point to this. It’s five and a half minutes of pure, unadulterated experimentalism. It’s actually an early version of her later hit "Blame It On Your Love," but while the later version was polished for radio, "Track 10" is a distorted, soaring masterpiece that feels like your speakers are melting.
It’s the emotional core of the mixtape. It proves that you can use heavy Auto-Tune and metallic crashes to convey genuine, heart-wrenching vulnerability.
The Live Shows Were More Like Raves
Charli didn't just release the music; she created an entire "Pop 2" ecosystem. The live shows in Los Angeles, New York, and London weren't traditional concerts. They were legendary.
She’d bring out ten guests a night.
She’d play unreleased demos like "Girls Night Out."
She’d let her producers stand center stage.
At the Village Underground show in London, the atmosphere was so thick with sweat and glitter it’s a wonder anyone could breathe. It solidified the idea that Charli wasn't just a singer; she was a curator. She was the "cool girl" inviting everyone to the party of the future.
Is Pop 2 Better Than Brat?
With the massive success of Brat in 2024 and 2025, there’s been a lot of debate. Is the "Brat Summer" era superior to the "Pop 2" era?
Honestly? They’re two sides of the same coin. Brat is the polished, confident execution of the ideas first whispered on Pop 2 Charli XCX. While Brat dominated the mainstream cultural conversation (and the 2026 award season), Pop 2 remains the cult classic that made it all possible. It’s the raw, unfiltered DNA of everything she’s done since.
Without "Unlock It"—which, by the way, got a massive second life on TikTok years later—we don't get the club-ready anthems of today.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Listen
If you’re revisiting the mixtape or diving in for the first time, don't just put it on in the background. It’s meant to be loud.
- Listen with high-quality headphones: The panning and micro-textures in the production by A.G. Cook and SOPHIE are lost on phone speakers.
- Watch the credits: Look up the featured artists. Many of them, like Caroline Polachek and Kim Petras, went on to define the last five years of pop music.
- Compare versions: Listen to "Track 10" and then immediately listen to "Blame It On Your Love" from her self-titled album. It’s a masterclass in how production can completely change the "soul" of a song.
The legacy of Pop 2 Charli XCX isn't just about the music itself. It’s about the permission it gave to other artists to be weird, to be loud, and to ignore the traditional rules of the music industry. It’s the sound of a pop star finally finding her voice by screaming through a digital filter. And honestly? We’re still hearing the echoes today.
Next Steps for You:
To truly experience the evolution of this sound, you should create a chronological playlist starting with the Vroom Vroom EP, followed by Number 1 Angel, and then Pop 2 Charli XCX. This will help you hear exactly where the "future of pop" was born before it became the mainstream sound of the mid-2020s.