CHARLI XCX - Music, Fashion, Film

I think the dancefloor is dead
So now we’re making rock music
(da “Rock Music”)

Let's start with the prologue. With the Brat-Summer now filed away — a phenomenal musical and marketing operation that cemented Charli XCX's status among the most authoritative pop stars on the planet — the Cambridge-born singer, who turns 34 on August 2nd, kicked off 2026 by releasing the soundtrack to "Wuthering Heights", the third highest-grossing film in Italy this year, taking in over 11 million euros. For that soundtrack she chose to switch off all the fluorescent-green lights and present herself instead as a modern, introspective songwriter. Just a few weeks later, she was already announcing the imminent release of a new, strongly characterized album, through which she intends to introduce an unprecedented version of herself, billed as her "rock record". The move was underlined by a provocation about the supposedly dire state of dance music, a jab to which Madonna promptly fired back: "If your dancefloor looks dead, maybe you're playing the wrong music." It turned out to be a fake feud, engineered to grab the front pages: the two artists were spotted at the end of June dancing and hugging at the after-party of a YSL show in Paris, effectively a soft launch for "Confessions II", the new record from Madam Ciccone herself — someone who certainly knows a thing or two about dancefloors...

We’re walking on a runaway
That goes straight to hell
Nothing’s gonna save us not
Music, fashion or film
(da “SS26”)

After four singles drip-fed over the preceding weeks, the much-anticipated "Music, Fashion, Film" finally arrived at the end of July 2026: eleven tracks packed into barely half an hour. The title lists three pillars of contemporary pop aesthetics, while also perfectly summing up Charli XCX's recent artistic trajectory. Let's break it down briefly. Music: the English singer's natural habitat, world champion of hyperpop and club music, now bolstered by the addition of processed guitars to the sonic mix, an operation crafted by her two trusted producers, A.G. Cook and Finn Keane, skilled at shaping and refining a sound already circulating in the scene (just think of the work of Slayyyter, of Jane Remover, and of countless hyperpop projects) but which now finds the right momentum — and an authoritative spokesperson — to become a reference standard in the months ahead. Fashion: Charli XCX's strong ties to the world of fashion, runway shows, it-girl aesthetics, indie sleaze references. Film: her recent projects tied to cinema, spanning soundtracks and acting. Representing the three words, three cult artists have been immortalized in black and white for the image chosen as the cover: musician John Cale, designer Marc Jacobs, director Martin Scorsese. It's safely in the running for the most iconic cover of the year.

I'm a wife, I'm a kid
I'm destroyed, I'm a bitch
I'm too drunk, I can't sleep
I can't feel anything
(from "I'm Afraid")

The "guitar-heavy" sound that defines the aesthetic of the new Charli XCX proves just as contemporary as trap verses, tech-house drops or indie-folk introspection. The tracks are fast, short, able to embody a renewed "punk spirit", and even if the purists of "real rock" will inevitably turn their noses up, "Music, Fashion, Film" is by no means lacking in surprising touches (we're still talking about a pop project, to be clear). The sound of the guitar sits firmly at the centre of the scene (even more so than on Olivia Rodrigo's records), introduced right from the first two effective tracks, "Rock Music" and "SS26" (short for Spring – Summer 2026), which immediately convey the album's message: the superficiality present in the art world and the need to break free from its most futile and dangerous attitudes. It's almost a warning aimed at everyone involved, once they've managed to pull themselves out of potentially harmful situations. Ironic tales of compulsive shopping alternate with vivid snapshots of lived experience, about only feeling at ease in front of a rolling camera or with yet another gin and tonic in hand at the party you simply can't miss. Meanwhile, the energy given off by these urgency-laden songs struggles to shake off a persistent, subtle veil of melancholy.

I used to jump on trampolines with no underwear on
And now I basically just wear trousers…
I’m not a bad girl anymore
(da “Wink Wink”)

The musical references are countless: the first part of "Card Declined" could pass for a demo by early PJ Harvey, "Wink Wink" recalls the carefree approach of a young Avril Lavigne, while the exuberant twists of "Camera" dissolve into the grungy existential unease of "I'm Afraid". But the track that takes centre stage in the album's economy is "Yeah", a gripping hybrid that alternates a verse capable of condensing Blur's "Song 2" and the riot femininity of Hole with a chorus that sounds lifted wholesale from an Avicii hit. Alternative rock and electro vivacity: a liberating explosion that we're curious to see translated to the stage in upcoming shows: will there be a real band backing her up, or will Charli XCX once again perform accompanied only by pre-recorded backing tracks? After the sincere declaration of affection and gratitude for her friend A.G. Cook (in "Magic Metal Montana"), the record closes with the statement "No One Lasts Forever", featuring a monologue by David Cronenberg, the 83-year-old celebrated Canadian director, screenwriter and actor. "No one lasts forever": the transience of human existence that leads to claiming the right – and the necessity – of one's own constant transformation. And by the time you've fully absorbed the new Charli XCX, she'll already be somewhere else, heading towards the next step, the next milestone. Because art should never be reassurance, but a continuous challenge, above all to oneself.

We can talk about immortal artists of various kinds
Have created art that has really survived thousands of years
And that’s fantastic
But experientially, for them
They are dead, they are gone
(da “No One Lasts Forever”)

P.S. Just three days after the release of "Music, Fashion, Film", an expanded edition was released – for now exclusively on iTunes – containing the B-sides "I Keep On Thinking Bout You Every Single Day And Night", "Playboy Bunny" and "If You Take Away The Music Then What Has She Got?", each accompanied by a black-and-white video, in keeping with the album's aesthetic. Charli XCX explained the reasoning behind this choice: "I made B-sides for each of the songs released before the album came out because it felt natural to pair every song with a fitting counterpart: something akin to the rest of the record but not entirely part of it. B-sides sometimes end up becoming fans' favourite songs…"

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01/08/2026