Focus / No Angel Explained

Focus" / "No Angel
Cover:CharliXCXFocusNoAngel.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Charli XCX
Genre:
Length:6:28
Chronology:Charli XCX
Prev Title:Bitches
Prev Year:2018
Focus
Title2:No Angel
Next Title:Girls Night Out
Next Year:2018

"Focus" and "No Angel" are songs recorded by English singer Charli XCX. They were released as a double single on 28 June 2018 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records UK as the second installment from a series of monthly single releases.[1] Both of the songs were performed live prior to their release.[2]

Composition

"Focus" is a "synth-driven, half-rapped" "hip hop"[3] track which features the singer giving a demand for attention.[4] Lake Schatz of Consequence of Sound compared the song to XCX's 2016 extended play Vroom Vroom.[5] "No Angel" is a bouncy synth-pop[6] [3] anthem. It sees the singer admitting to having a wild side and wanting to prove herself worthy of love.

Critical reception

Julia Gray of Stereogum named "Focus" a "synth-driven, half-rapped track" and named "No Angel" a "bouncy, shimmering anthem".[7] "No Angel" was named "Best New Track" by Pitchfork, describing the song as "effervescent 80s synth pop".[6] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called "Focus" an "unrepentant earworm, with that trademark XCX style of delivering an almost cruelly addictive, simple chorus." She wrote that "No Angel" "has the effortless cool that makes so many of her songs sound fresh and unmistakably her own."[8] Mike Nied of Idolator wrote that "it is easy to imagine 'Focus' filling dance floors across the globe with its irresistible production." Nied praised "No Angel" for moving "her pop aesthetic into a more experimental realm and features some of her most earnest lyrics to date."

Track listing

Credits adapted from Qobuz.

Notes

Charts

Chart (2018)! scope="col"
Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[9] 32

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "Focus / No Angel" – Single by Charli XCX. 29 June 2018. Asylum Records. iTunes. 1 September 2018.
  2. Web site: Charli XCX shares 'Focus' and 'No Angel'. DIY. en. 2018-10-15.
  3. Web site: Reed . Ryan . Hear Charli XCX's Synth-Driven New Songs, 'Focus,' 'No Angel . Rolling Stone . 12 January 2020 . June 29, 2018.
  4. Web site: » Charli XCX Hits The Dance Floor On Loved-Up Bops "Focus" & "No Angel". www.idolator.com. 2018-10-15.
  5. News: Charli XCX drops two new songs, "Focus" and "No Angel": Stream. 2018-06-29. Consequence of Sound. 2018-10-15. en-US.
  6. News: "No Angel" by Charli XCX Review. Farrell. Margaret. 2 July 2018. Pitchfork. 3 September 2018.
  7. News: Charli XCX – "Focus" & "No Angel". Gray. Julia. 29 June 2018. Stereogum. 1 September 2018.
  8. News: Charli XCX Is a Pop Princess Par Excellence With 'Focus,' 'No Angel'. Spanos. Brittany. 2018-06-29. Rolling Stone. 2018-10-15. en-US.
  9. Web site: The Official New Zealand Music Chart. THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. en. 2018-10-15.