CHARLI XCX: Music, Fashion, Film (Atlantic)
Verdict: Candid, catchy, confident (four stars out of five)
I’ve been a huge Charli XCX fan for years, and honestly, her 2024 album, Brat, was a total game-changer. Before that, she was well-known, but always felt like she was almost there, you know? But with its incredible dance beats and that unforgettable lime-green aesthetic, Brat really launched her into full-on superstar status. It was amazing to watch!
The song launched the ‘Brat Summer’ trend, helped Charli D’Amelio become a headliner at Glastonbury’s Other Stage, and its eye-catching album artwork quickly went viral.
As a huge fan, I was surprised when Charli XCX announced she was putting her ‘Brat’ era behind her! But honestly, I’m so impressed with what she did next. She jumped into film scoring – she actually created the music for Emerald Fennell’s take on Wuthering Heights – and even starred in a documentary called The Moment, which is this really clever and funny look at being famous. It’s been amazing to watch her expand like that.
She’s back to making pop music, and her new seventh studio album – released today – shows off a smart and refreshed take on her signature style.
Music, Fashion, and Film generally avoids dance music, instead focusing on loud guitars and electronic sounds. It occasionally draws inspiration from a quirky style of indie rock that became popular with American bands like the Pixies back in the late 1980s.
Created with frequent partners A.G. Cook and Finn Keane, the album is concise and energetic. Its eleven tracks fly by in just half an hour, and every song feels perfectly paced – nothing overstays its welcome.
The songs also reveal Charli is struggling with who she is. While she’s achieved success, it hasn’t brought her the happiness she expected, and these tracks cleverly explore her complicated feelings about fame. She touches on everything from her rebellious image to her acting work and upcoming wedding in 2025. In the song ‘I’m Afraid,’ she admits, ‘It’s complicated how I feel, but I have to get it out, so my insides don’t turn black.’
She begins by stating her artistic goal: to revive the energy of live music. In her song ‘Rock Music,’ a tribute to energetic guitar playing and crowd surfing, she declares that dance floors have lost their spark – though hints of her earlier electronic sound still peek through.
Okay, so ‘Yeah’ just screams guitar, which is amazing! And ‘Card Declined’? Oh my gosh, it’s about trying to buy who you want to be, and it just proves she’s a genius at blending stuff everyone loves with these totally unexpected, cool sounds. Seriously, she just gets it.
Her songwriting is known for being honest and direct. In the song ‘I’m Afraid,’ she openly sings about her marriage to George Daniel, the drummer for the British band The 1975, questioning what would happen if things went wrong with the line, ‘What if I ruin it? Take the ring, take the ring.’
The camera captures her openly discussing the challenges of balancing acting and her music career. The song ‘Wink Wink’ playfully references her past image as someone who loves to party. She jokingly assures everyone, ‘I’m not a troublemaker anymore, I promise… wink,’ hinting she still has that playful side.
Aitchison often writes songs inspired by fellow artists – she’s previously written about Lorde, for example – and her latest album, Persona, includes a song about a close friend, though she doesn’t mention their name. As always, her lyrics are thoughtful and understanding, rather than angry. She sings about seeing a friend in a movie and feeling sad, noticing they seem to be struggling even though they claim to be okay.
Despite her insecurities, moments of hope still shine through. The song ‘Magic Metal Montana’ is a thank you to her producer, Cook, who she credits with her success. The album’s final song, ‘No One Lasts Forever,’ encourages listeners to appreciate the present, and ‘2007’ fondly remembers her childhood growing up in Essex. She recalls dreaming of being a pop star in her bedroom.
While the new project Music, Fashion, Film might be interesting, it probably won’t start a big trend like the “Brat summer” aesthetic that was popular in 2024. This is partly because its cover art is just a simple photograph of John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese – it doesn’t have the same eye-catching quality.
It does, however, rubber-stamp Charli’s position as Britain’s most adventurous mainstream pop star.
Charli XCX plays Reading and Leeds Festival on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August.
2026-07-24 02:51