More about: Charli XCX

So we’ve had a weekend to soak it in. Charli XCX’s new album CRASH has finally dropped and no doubt you’ve been listening on repeat and saying phrases like “obsessed!”, “banger!” and mostly; “omg what song does this remind me of?”

With some obvious samples and some more covert influences, CRASH is a melting pot of all the best '80s and '90s references, sounds and vibes. From TV soundtracks to particular Janet Jackson drum sounds, here are all the samples and references we’ve spotted so far.

'Crash'

While there arent any credited or listed samples on CRASH, there are some clear-cut references here. But the biggest one; Prince. Charli stans are picking up on sounds like Kate Bush during her Red Shoes era, but listen to ‘Why Should I Love You’ and ‘Crash’ back to back and you’ll realise the common thread is the instantly recognisable sound of Prince on guitar. Paired off with an extremely Prince-y drum machine with big crackly snares and then veering into a full guitar solo, there’s some definite Purple Rain inspo here.

But as well as Prince, is it possible to sample yourself? As a nod to her old SoundCloud days, 'Crash' steals a melody from an old fan favourite track, ‘Queen Lizzy’.

'Good Ones'

Sweet dreams are made of this…

The opening and verses of ‘Good Ones’ could be pulled straight from the Eurythmics anthem ‘Sweet Dreams’. From the synthy beat to the sparse vocal, the track’s foundation is built on Annie Lennox’s holy ground.

'Beg For You'

The most obvious one on the whole album, the sampling on ‘Beg For You’ really pushes the borders of what can be considered a sample versus a cover version. With a chorus pulled straight from ‘Cry For You’ by September, the intro also samples ‘Don’t Cry’ by Milk Inc while the underlying beat is reminiscent of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’. 

'Move Me'

The whole of CRASH was referred to as Charli’s Janet album, pulling heavy influence from Janet Jackson’s '80s and '90s albums, but you can really hear it on ‘Move Me’. With a drum beat similar to ‘If’ or ‘Nasty’, the vocal melody and the decision to place a soft vocal over a heavier, dancey instrumental reminds us of ‘Empty’, especially with that sickly sweet performance in a higher key than we usually hear her in.

'Every Rule'

Diana, 11:30, March 18th. Charli is entering the town of Twin Peaks...

The Twin Peaks soundtrack has been sampled a lot due to its immediately recognisable, haunting cult status. But ‘Every Rule’ adopts both the sound and vibe, feeling like a sad song you’d hear playing out of the One Eyed Jacks. With the same electric piano, slightly unsettling instrumentation of the show’s theme tune, Audrey would love this track.

'Used To Know Me'

You don’t even need us to break this one down for you. ‘Used To Know Me’ samples the iconic 'Show Me Love' from start to finish. Mixing up the verses and chorus by messing with distortions, the club classic ends up sounding a little like the Love Island theme tune but what more could you want from the tune that will undoubtedly be the club hit of the summer?

'Twice'

Hear me out… does it sound a bit like the Rugrats theme tune…?

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More about: Charli XCX