Not another ‘Brat Summer’: Charli xcx steps into a new, grittier era with her guitar-heavy project, ‘Music, Fashion, Film,’ out tomorrow

Charli xcx has moved beyond her recent cultural phenomenon to release a new record. Her latest project, Music, Fashion, Film, is available today. While her previous work defined a specific aesthetic, this new release signals a shift toward a grittier, guitar-heavy sound that avoids repeating past successes.

Recorded in Paris during Fashion Week, the album came together through sessions with producer A.G. Cook. Charli notes that she finds inspiration during periods of intensity and chaos. The resulting tracks, including Rock Music and SS26, favor self-awareness and melancholic lyrics over the high-energy dance pop that marked her previous era.

The album cover captures the central themes through a black-and-white image featuring John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese in a kitchen. Charli describes the shoot as a surreal experience that highlights her connection to music, fashion, and film. Each icon represents one of the record’s pillars, grounding the project in a more personal and conceptual space.

Despite the inclusion of distorted guitars, Charli rejects the label of a rock album. She maintains that she does not view genre in a binary way and prefers to focus on collaboration rather than defined categories. This release finds her prioritizing her mental health by stepping away from the intense scrutiny of social media and focusing on her creative instincts.

Charli has made it clear that she is not interested in dissecting the meaning behind her lyrics for public consumption. She prefers to leave the songs to speak for themselves, choosing to move forward without looking back at the cycles of pop culture. For listeners, this album serves as a transition into a stripped-back, intentional phase of her career.