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“So now we’re making rock music,” is hardly the sentence you’d expect to hear from Charli XCX. Especially on the heels of 2024’s ‘BRAT’ summer phenomenon. With that said, the popstar has been in the game for a long time now, and while she might only have skyrocketed to A-list levels of success in recent years, her long-standing fans know she’s no stranger to reinvention. A shift like this should come as no surprise.
The months following, however, begged the question of how long this pop culture spectacle could last. At what point does Brat summer finally end, and will that iconic shade of green forever signal the soundtrack of being a “365 party girl”? By waving goodbye to such an iconic era in her career, Charli XCX left a lot to live up to.
‘Music, Fashion, Film’ puts all of her core passions at the forefront of this project, signifying her recent turn to collaborations outside the music world. Loosely flirting with the spirit of rock music, though maybe not in the most traditional sense, she’s having fun with it whilst tapping into the roots of some of her earlier releases.
When Charli XCX released the single ‘Rock Music’, the first track on the album, it was met with mixed reactions. Not only is it short (like almost all the sub-2-minute songs on the album), its tongue-in-cheek lyrics and crunchy, distorted production left many people unsure what to make of it.
Opening with the line “Me and my friends, we go out” isn’t exactly lyrical genius, but that’s exactly the point - and Charli XCX isn’t trying to be that. Her lyrics in all their simplicity make her point clear, and are a clever blend of satire and effortless pop fun. There’s an undeniable nostalgia in there too. Talk of headbanging on the dancefloor and nights out with friends is amplified by the staticky textures of early 2000’s rock; she’s stripping it back to basics.
It’s a theme that seeps into other tracks on the album, most evidently in ‘2007’ and ‘Yeah’. They mark a noticeable pivot away from the electro-pop anthems listeners are used to, and instead focus on electric guitar riffs and drums to drive the tracks forward. From this, there’s a subtle, almost pop-punk vibe that wouldn’t see these songs out of place at the end of a noughties coming-of-age film. Both similar in their repetitiveness that could leave a little more to be desired for some, they still perfectly blend together different styles and influences of Charli XCX’s latest era.
While the album has fun with nostalgia and its throw-back feel, the core themes run much deeper. A lot of the tracks deliver a sharp critique of the industry and the pressures of existing in that space. Where ‘BRAT’ explored her insecurities around female relationships, ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ feels much more personal, focusing on solidifying her own identity following the aftermath of such huge success.
The album’s gentlest track ‘SS26’ delves into this critique of fashion and fame even further, with a dark foreshadowing in her lyrics “Yeah, we're walkin' on a runway that goes straight to hell / Nothing's gonna save us, not music, fashion or film”. ‘Wink Wink’ similarly continues with the tongue-in-cheek industry critique seen throughout the entire album, as Charli XCX tackles the obsession with altering her public image.
She playfully pokes fun at being known for her party girl aesthetic, contrasting her wild antics with lines like “I used to jump on trampolines with no underwear on / And now I basically just wear trousers” followed by a mock-confessional chorus “Here's the truth, and I gotta be honest / I'm not a bad girl anymore / Wink, wink, wink, wink". The track stands out as upbeat and fun, with a sense of freedom that comes with being able to reinvent yourself like that.
‘Music, Fashion, Film’ might be nothing like listeners were expecting, not to mention, at 30 minutes, much shorter than anticipated too. But, being brought to a close with a collaboration with legendary director David Cronenberg, there’s no denying it’s a bold celebration of what it means to make art.
Emily McIntyre
Image: 'Music, Fashion, Film' Official Album Cover
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