Sucker (Charli XCX album)
2014 studio album by Charli XCX
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Sucker (stylised in all caps) is the second studio album by British singer Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2014 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. The album was met with positive reviews from critics, praising its throwback style, and ended up being included on many year-end lists for best albums of 2014. Sucker spawned the singles "Boom Clap", "Break the Rules", "Doing It" (featuring Rita Ora) and "Famous".
- White Bronco (Los Angeles, CA)
- Rokstone (London, England)
- Westlake (Los Angeles, CA)
- "Patrik's House" (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Ingrid (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Rodeo Recordings (Los Angeles, CA)
- Eldorado (Burbank, CA)
- The Village Recorder (Los Angeles, CA)
- Sarm West Coast (London, England)
- Echo (Los Angeles, CA)
- Matzah Ball (New York, NY)
- The London Hotel (Los Angeles, CA)
- F Block (London, England)
- Gefilte Fish (Brooklyn, NY)
| Sucker | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 December 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2014 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genres | ||||
| Length | 40:26 | |||
| Labels | ||||
| Producers |
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| Charli XCX chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sucker | ||||
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Charli XCX promoted the album through a series of public appearances and televised live performances, as well as appearing on the Jingle Ball Tour 2014. The album was supported by Charli XCX's Girl Power North America Tour, which lasted from September to October 2014. She was also the opening act for the European leg of American singer Katy Perry's Prismatic World Tour in 2015.
Background and composition
In 2013, Charli XCX released her first major studio album, True Romance.[1] It received positive reviews by music critics, who praised its distinctive style and Charli's artistic personality.[2][a] However, the album failed to chart on major markets.[b] On 13 March 2014, Charli revealed to Complex magazine that she had begun working on her second studio album with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo as well as Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend,[8] and the duo Stargate and John Hill were also confirmed as producers.[9] In an interview with DIY magazine, she stated that she wrote the record for girls and wants them to feel "a sense of empowerment".[10] Charli explained in her tour diary with Replay Laserblast that its genre is still pop, but has "a very shouty, girl-power, girl-gang, Bow Wow Wow" feel to it at the same time.[11] She also said in an interview with Idolator that Sucker would be influenced by the Hives, Weezer, the Ramones and 1960s yé-yé music.[12]
Sucker's sounds have been described as pop,[13] pop-punk,[14][15][16][17] new wave,[18] power pop,[19] and electro-punk.[20] "London Queen" combines elements of 1980s punk and bubblegum.[21]
Promotion
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Charli XCX's first high-profile performance of "Boom Clap" was at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show on 24 August 2014.[22] She later sang the song, followed by "Break the Rules" at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, the American Music Awards of 2014, and on Saturday Night Live.[23][24][25] The tracks, "London Queen" and "Gold Coins", premiered in advance of the album's release on 6 October and 17 November, respectively,[26][27] and a music video for "Breaking Up" was unveiled on 2 December.[28] In November, the album's European bonus track "Red Balloon" was used in a trailer for the 2015 animated film Home,[29] and included on the film's soundtrack, curated by Rihanna.[30]
Originally set to be released in October 2014, Charli postponed its release date to 26 January 2015, due to the commercial success of "Boom Clap".[31] However, on 7 January, it was announced that the European release of the album would be pushed back again to 16 February, featuring a revised track listing that includes the new version of "Doing It" featuring English singer Rita Ora as well as the tracks "So Over You" and "Red Balloon".[32] Charli and Ora performed "Doing It" at The Graham Norton Show on 14 February.[33] In support of the album, Charli embarked on the Girl Power North America Tour in 2014, which kicked off in Orlando, Florida on 26 September and concluded in San Francisco, California on 25 October.[34] She also performed the tracks from Sucker as part of her set for the Jingle Ball Tour 2014 and supported American singer Katy Perry on European dates of her Prismatic World Tour in February and March 2015.[35] Charli further promoted Sucker by embarking on an eight-date UK tour in 2015, which began in Brighton on 24 March and ended in Birmingham on 2 April.[36]
Singles
"Boom Clap", the first single released from Sucker, was released worldwide on 17 June 2014.[37] It was originally part of the soundtrack album for The Fault in Our Stars.[38] The song was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.[39][40] It has since sold more than one million copies in the United States, receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America,[41] and has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry.[42] The accompanying music video was shot in Amsterdam.[43] The second single, "Break the Rules", was released on 25 August, along with the music video.[44] The song reached number four in Germany, six in Austria, ten in Australia, and the top 40 in Belgium, France, Norway and in Charli XCX's native UK.[c] In the United States, the song peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, her second consecutive entry on the chart.[40]
Featuring Rita Ora, a music video for "Doing It" directed by Adam Powell was unveiled on 20 January 2015.[53] On 3 February, the song was released as the album's third single;[54] it peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.[55] The music video for "Famous" was premiered on 23 March,[56] and the song was released as the album's fourth single on 29 May.[57]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[58] |
| Metacritic | 75/100[59] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[60] |
| Billboard |  [61] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[16] |
| The Guardian | [62] |
| NME | 8/10[63] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[19] |
| Rolling Stone | [64] |
| Spin | 8/10[65] |
| USA Today | [66] |
Sucker received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, Sucker received an average score of 75, based on 25 reviews.[59]
Will Hermes of Rolling Stone stated that "Sucker is no retro gesture: Charli runs the album's rock & roll guitars and attitude through enough distressed digital production and thumb type vernacular to make this the first fully updated iteration of punk pop in ages ... Like so many of the pop pleasures here, it's a sentiment that just never gets old."[64] Miles Raymer of Entertainment Weekly commented that "Sucker is pop-punk, radically redefined and dragged, middle fingers waving, into the future."[16] Brian Mansfield of USA Today wrote, "On Sucker, XCX doesn't just tweak the ear-candy pop template, she blows it up, then pries the shiniest bits from the asphalt. It's still sweet once she's finished sticking it back together, but it's got a bit of crunch, too."[66] At AllMusic, Heather Phares opined that the album's "mix of youth and sophistication is more than a little volatile, and sometimes it feels like XCX is still figuring out what really works for her music ... Nevertheless, it succeeds as an introduction to Charli XCX the Pop Star while retaining her whip-smart songwriting and attitude."[13]
Dan Weiss of Spin expressed that "Sucker is just an exceptionally good pop album ... Those are rare enough as it is."[65] James Rainis of Slant Magazine viewed the album as "the sound of a long-incubating star emerging so fully formed on an international stage that it's difficult to figure that an artist gifted with so much sneering bravado was ever thought of as an underdog ... Someone needed to author the aural equivalent of the body shot, and Charli XCX has provided the platonic ideal of just that: a party album charged equally with punkish rebellion, hip-hop cool, and pop universality."[67] Jamieson Cox of Pitchfork felt that "Sucker isn't an endpoint for Charli ... and it's not her finest work, but it's plenty good enough to rope a cohort of new fans into what's promising to be one hell of a creative ride."[19] Jon Pareles, reviewing positively for The New York Times, emphasises "Sucker is far more direct; it's smart, loud, cheeky, gimmick-loving pop, intent on making every song go bang ... The ambition and calculation on Sucker are overt but not a deal-breaker. It's a brittle, professional album full of sonic treats."[68]
In a 2024 cover story for Billboard, Charli told Kristin Robinson that "she considers 2014's Sucker, for instance, 'an attempt at what Olivia Rodrigo's Sour was able to do much better.'"[69]
Accolades
Sucker was named the best pop album of the year by Rolling Stone, who said, "Charli XCX is the pop star 2014 was waiting for: a badass songwriting savant who's the most fun girl in any room she steps into. The 22-year-old artist came into her own with Sucker, a middle-finger-waving teenage riot packed into 13 punky gems. It's a dance party, a mosh pit and a feminist rally – Charli's definitely in charge."[70] Spin ranked it the sixth pop album of 2014, commenting that "Charli's second full-length shaves off the densely layered atmospherics and dreamy soundscapes."[71] Meanwhile, Jason Lipshutz from Billboard listed Sucker as the second best pop album of 2014,[72] and NME listed it as the 32nd best album of 2015.[73]
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NME | Albums of the Year 2015 | 2015 | 32[73] |
| Rolling Stone | 50 Best Albums of 2014 | 2014 | 6[70] |
Commercial performance
Sucker debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard 200, making it Charli XCX's first album to enter the chart.[74] It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 15, selling 5,622 copies in its first week.[75] The album's UK sales as of May 2020 stood at 46,667 units.[76]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sucker" |
|
| 2:42 |
| 2. | "Break the Rules" |
| 3:23 | |
| 3. | "London Queen" |
| J.L. Raisen | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Breaking Up" |
| 2:17 | |
| 5. | "Gold Coins" |
|
| 3:02 |
| 6. | "Boom Clap" |
|
| 2:49 |
| 7. | "Doing It" |
|
| 3:48 |
| 8. | "Body of My Own" |
|
| 2:45 |
| 9. | "Famous" |
| Kurstin | 3:52 |
| 10. | "Hanging Around" |
| J.L. Raisen | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Die Tonight" |
| P. Berger | 2:51 |
| 12. | "Caught in the Middle" |
| 3:01 | |
| 13. | "Need Ur Luv" |
| Rostam | 3:45 |
| Total length: | 40:26 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Money (That's What I Want)" | J.L. Raisen | 2:06 | |
| 15. | "Break the Rules" (Femme remix) |
|
| 3:52 |
| Total length: | 46:24 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Doing It" (featuring Rita Ora) |
|
| 3:48 |
| 8. | "Body of My Own" |
|
| 2:45 |
| 9. | "Famous" |
| Kurstin | 3:52 |
| 10. | "Hanging Around" |
| J.L. Raisen | 3:18 |
| 11. | "So Over You" |
|
| 3:08 |
| 12. | "Die Tonight" |
| P. Berger | 2:51 |
| 13. | "Caught in the Middle" |
|
| 3:01 |
| 14. | "Need Ur Luv" |
| Rostam | 3:45 |
| 15. | "Red Balloon" |
|
| 3:28 |
| Total length: | 47:03 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Break the Rules" (Japanese version) (ブレイク・ザ・ルールズ) |
|
| 3:23 |
| 17. | "Boom Clap" (Japanese version) (ブーム・クラップ) |
|
| 2:51 |
| Total length: | 53:17 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
- ^[b] signifies an additional producer.
- ^[c] signifies a remixer.
- ^[d] signifies a vocal producer.
- The title track is edited on some physical editions of the album. "Break the Rules", "Breaking Up", "Body of My Own", and "Hanging Around" are not edited.
- The version of "Boom Clap" found on the album is the same from the Japanese music video and is different from the version heard in the original music video and in The Fault in Our Stars.
Personnel
Credits were adapted from the liner notes of "Break the Rules" and the European edition of Sucker.[84][85]
Recording locations
- White Bronco Studios; Los Angeles, CA
- Rokstone Studios; London, England
- Westlake Recording Studios; Los Angeles, CA
- "Patrik's House"; Stockholm, Sweden
- Ingrid Studios; Stockholm, Sweden
- Rodeo Recordings; Los Angeles, CA
- Eldorado Recording Studios; Burbank, CA
- The Village Recorder; Los Angeles, CA
- Sarm West Coast; London, England
- Echo Studios; Los Angeles, CA
- Matzah Ball Studios; New York, NY
- The London Hotel; Los Angeles, CA
- F Block Studios; London, England
- Gefilte Fish Studios; Brooklyn, NY
Musicians
- Charli XCX – vocals, executive production
- Justin L. Raisen – drum programming, guitars, production, engineering (tracks 1, 3, 10); backing vocals, synthesisers (tracks 1, 3); OP-1 (track 10)
- Jerry James – drum programming and production(track 1); bass and engineering (tracks 1, 3); backing vocals (track 3)
- Cashmere Cat – additional programming (track 2); all instruments, programming (track 15), production track 2, 15)
- Chris Laws – drums, engineering (track 2)
- Steve Mac – keys, production (track 2)
- Dano "Robopop" Omelio – guitars (track 2)
- Steve Pearce – bass (track 2)
- Daniel Pursey – percussion, engineering (track 2)
- Macy McCutcheon – additional girl vocals (track 2)
- Bea Rexstrew – additional girl vocals (track 2)
- Kirstin Hume – additional girl vocals (track 2)
- Katie Littlewood – additional girl vocals (track 2)
- Shags Chamberlain – bass, backing vocals (track 3)
- Ariel Pink – synthesisers, mouth organ, backing vocals (track 3)
- Remi Nicole – additional vocals (track 3); backing vocals (track 4)
- Patrik Berger – all instruments, programming (tracks 4, 5, 8, 12); backing vocals (track 12), production (tracks 4–6, 8, 12); engineering (tracks 4, 8, 12)
- John Hill – programming (tracks 4, 5); co-production (track 4); all instruments, production (track 5)
- Markus Krunegård – piano, additional vocals (track 4); all instruments, programming, backing vocals (track 12)
- Noonie Bao – additional vocals (tracks 4, 7, 14)
- Matthew Eccles – drums (track 4)
- Keefus Ciancia – additional keys (track 5)
- Stefan Gräslund – additional programming and additional production (track 5); production (track 6)
- Rita Ora – featured vocals (track 7)
- Mr. Rogers – drums, bass, programming, production, engineering (track 7)
- Ariel Rechtshaid – programming, production (track 7)
- Christian Olsson – all instruments, programming, production (track 8)
- Greg Kurstin – guitar, bass, keys, production, engineering (track 9)
- Aaron Redfield – drums (track 9)
- Naughty Boy – instrumentation, production (track 11)
- Benny Blanco – instrumentation and production (tracks 11, 13); programming (track 13)
- Martin Stilling – all instruments, programming and engineering (track 12), engineering assistance (tracks 4, 8)
- Lars Skoglund – drums (track 12)
- Andrew Wyatt – backing vocals (tracks 12, 14)
- Young & Sick – instrumentation, programming, production (track 13)
- Sarah Chernoff – backing vocals (track 14)
- Angel Deradoorian – backing vocals (track 14)
- Andrew Blakemore – backing vocals (track 14)
- Mikkel S. Eriksen – all instruments, programming, recording (track 15), production (tracks 2, 15)
- Tor Erik Hermansen – all instruments, programming, recording (track 15), production (tracks 2, 15)
Production and design
- Rob Orton – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14)
- Tony Lake – additional engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14)
- Caleb Laven – vocal editing (tracks 1, 3)
- Dave Schiffman – mixing (tracks 3, 8, 10)
- Niek Meul – engineering (track 4)
- Chris Kasych – engineering (tracks 4, 5)
- John Morrical – engineering (track 4)
- Martin Cooke – engineering (track 4)
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 5, 9, 11, 13)
- Geoff Swan – mixing assistance (tracks 5, 9, 11, 13)
- Josh Gudwin – production, recording (Rita Ora's vocals) (track 7)
- Alex Pasco – additional engineering (track 9)
- Julian Burg – additional engineering (track 9)
- Nick Rowe – vocal editing (track 10)
- Chris "Anger Management" Sclafani – engineering (tracks 11, 13)
- Andrew "McMuffin" Luftman – production coordination (tracks 11, 13)
- Seif "Mageef" Hussain – production coordination (tracks 11, 13)
- Rostam – production (track 14)
- Miles Walker – recording (track 15)
- Phil Tan – mixing (track 15)
- Daniela Rivera – additional engineering for mix (track 15)
- Stuart Hawkes – mastering
- Frank Fieber – design, layout
- Harry Fieber – illustration
- Bella Howard – photography
Charts
| Chart (2014–2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[86] | 53 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[87] | 44 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[88] | 61 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[89] | 47 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[90] | 65 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[91] | 42 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[92] | 57 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[93] | 13 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[94] | 17 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[95] | 81 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[96] | 70 |
| Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[97] | 62 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[98] | 59 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[99] | 33 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[100] | 15 |
| US Billboard 200[74] | 28 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[101] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 15 December 2014 | Standard | [102][103] | ||
| Canada | 16 December 2014 | CD | Warner | [104] | |
| 19 December 2014 | Digital download | [105] | |||
| Australia |
|
[78][106] | |||
| France | 9 February 2015 | [107][108] | |||
| Germany | 13 February 2015 | [109][110] | |||
| Ireland |
|
[111][112] | |||
| Netherlands | Warner | [113][114] | |||
| United Kingdom | 16 February 2015 |
|
[80][115] | ||
| Italy | 17 February 2015 | Warner | [116][117] | ||
| Japan | 18 February 2015 | [83][118] | |||
| United States | 10 March 2015 | Digital download | Reissue |
|
[81] |
| Canada | 31 March 2015 | LP | Standard | Warner | [119] |
| United States |
|
[120] | |||
| Australia | 17 April 2015 | CD | Reissue | Warner | [82] |
Notes
- Marc Hogan of Pitchfork noted that Charli "create[s] something distinctive and immediately memorable" and "stamps her personality across the entire project",[3] while AllMusic's Heather Phares observed that she "combin[es] a wide array of pop culture sources into something fresh and familiar" throughout the "consistently catchy and personal" album.[4]
- True Romance debuted at number 85 on the UK Albums Chart with 1,241 copies in its first week,[5] and it peaked at numbers five and eleven on the US Heatseekers Albums and Australia's ARIA Hitseekers chart, respectively.[6][7]