Number 1 Angel

Number 1 Angel is the third mixtape by English singer 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.^[2][3][4] Several other producers associated with the label also contributed to the mixtape, including Sophie, who previously produced Charli XCX's extended play Vroom Vroom. Musically, it has been labeled as avant-pop^[5] and electropop.^[6]

Number 1 Angel
Mixtape by Charli XCX
Released	10 March 2017
Recorded	2015 • October 2016-early 2017
Genre	Avant-pop electropop
Length	37:23
Label	Asylum
Producer	A. G. Cook Sophie Danny L Harle Life Sim Easy FX[a] John Hill
Charli XCX chronology
Vroom Vroom (2016) Number 1 Angel (2017) Pop 2 (2017)
Alternative cover
In anticipation of the release of Charli XCX's sixth studio album Brat, the cover art of her discography has been updated on streaming platforms.

Number 1 Angel received generally positive reviews from critics. Some reviewers praised its genre-bending sounds and guest appearances, while others found it repetitive.

Background

In January 2017, Charli XCX stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that she planned 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 an interview with 93.3, she told the radio station that she recorded the mixtape in two weeks. She described the mixtape as a "lot more sad" than her previous work, saying, "this is more like crying into the champagne than drinking it"; she also compared it to her previous 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]
AllMusic	[14]
Crack	7/10[15]
Pitchfork	6.3/10[16]
Pretty Much Amazing	B[17]
Rolling Stone	[18]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[19]

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."^[19] 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,"^[17] whilst Katherine St. Asaph of Pitchfork wrote that the mixtape "is largely stolen by its guests, like Uffie and Cupcakke."^[16]

Writing for AllMusic, Neil Z. Young described the release as, "Yet another sonic shift for the singer ... Angel employs tropical bounce, cavernous electronics, and trap-rap influences on ten tracks that are more M.I.A. than Marina and the Diamonds."^[14]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	25 Best & Worst Album Covers of 2017	Best	[20]
Complex	The Best Albums of 2017	12	[21]
Entertainment Weekly	Best Albums of 2017	18	[22]
Crack Magazine	The Top 100 Albums of 2017	29	[23]
Noisey	The 100 Best Albums of 2017	38	[24]
Gorilla vs. Bear	Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2017	54	[25]
Rolling Stone	20 Best Pop Albums of 2017	8	[26]
Melty	Best Pop Albums of the Year	2	[27]

Impact

Retrospectively, in April 2022, Clash's Ana Lamond stated that the mixtape "holds a resilience in its stride, drawing none of its attention to the cries from Sucker Charli XCX fans, pleading for a to return to the more commercial, the more conventional breakthrough days. By no means does the mixtape play things safe, making for a bold attempt in re-defining pop music with its embrace for PC Music."^[28]

The song "Britpop" (2024), which was released as the second single from A.G. Cook's album of the same name, contains an interpolation of the tenth and final song on the album, "Lipgloss", which also featured American rapper Cupcakke.

On April 12, 2025 a new LP edition including a 12" poster and red vinyl was released for the RSD after the original version released in 2017 featuring both Number 1 Angel and Pop 2.

Track listing

Number 1 Angel track listing

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 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

• A later vinyl release included all ten tracks of Number 1 Angel combined with the ten tracks of Pop 2.^[29]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[30]

Musicians

• Charli XCX – lead vocals
• A. G. Cook – programming (1–3, 5, 7, 9, 10), synthesizer (2, 5), piano (5)
• MØ – vocals (2)
• EasyFun – programming and synthesizer (2, 5), piano (5)
• Sophie – programming (4, 10)
• Danny L Harle – programming (6)
• MNDR – backing vocals (8)
• John Hill – programming (8)
• Jordan Orvash – keyboards (8)
• Life Sim – synthesizer (10)

Technical

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

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[31]	74
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32]	67
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[33]	6
US Billboard 200[34]	175

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[35]	9
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[36]	43
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[37]	18
Scottish Albums (OCC)[38]	7
UK Albums (OCC)[39]	37
US Billboard 200[40]	180

Tour

Number 1 Angel Tour^[41]

Date	City	Country	Venue
2 April 2017	San Francisco	United States	Rickshaw
12 April 2017	New York City		Le Poisson Rouge
20 April 2017	London	England	Jazz Café
22 April 2017	Paris	France	Les Étoiles
11 June 2017	São Paulo	Brazil	Memorial da América Latina

Notes

1. EasyFX is a duo formerly consisting of producers A. G. Cook and EasyFun.^[1]