{"id":4788,"date":"2026-07-23T23:06:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T23:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4788"},"modified":"2026-07-23T23:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T23:06:03","slug":"charli-xcx-cranks-up-the-guitars-and-launches-her-post-brat-era-with-the-razor-sharp-music-fashion-film-album-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4788","title":{"rendered":"Charli xcx Cranks Up the Guitars and Launches Her Post-\u2018Brat\u2019 Era With the Razor-Sharp \u2018Music, Fashion, Film\u2019: Album Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tWhen an artist is as prolific \u2014 and as easily bored \u2014\u00a0as Charli xcx, \u201cHow much is too much?\u201d becomes a significant question, and one she herself addressed in \u201cThe Moment,\u201d the mock-umentary on her \u201cBrat\u201d era released earlier this year. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2018The Big Bang Theory\u2019 Makes Triumphant Return to Comic-Con With \u2018Stuart Fails to Save the Universe\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThat remarkably self-aware film, in which she plays a sort of parallel-universe version of herself, finds her comically grappling with overexposure and the insatiable yet fickle demands of 21st century entertainment, with its domineering creative directors, executives and influencers. It\u2019s a fascinating (if sometimes inside-baseball) statement on stardom in 2026 that unpacks her savvy and strategic perspective on her career more than hours of interviews ever could.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film has become even more meta \u2014 and in some ways contradictory \u2014\u00a0as Charli has rolled out a new project and\/or moment every couple of weeks this year, whether it\u2019s appearing in films (four of them besides \u201cThe Moment\u201d), videos, social media posts, tour announcements, album-listening sessions in independent movie theaters and now the album itself, \u201cMusic, Fashion, Film,\u201d which is technically her seventh but \u2014 between mixtapes, stand-alone songs, EPs, DJ sets, a remix album, the unreleased 2018 \u201cCharli World\u201d LP and countless collaborations and guest appearances \u2014 adds up to more than that. <\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s her fourth full-length release in just over two years and, characteristically of her creative ADD, it sounds very little like the sparkling pop of \u201cBrat\u201d or its remix album and even less like the celestial synths of her \u201cWuthering Heights\u201d soundtrack. Apart from a sprinkling of glitchy digital noises, there\u2019s nary a trace of hyperpop, and \u2014 spoiler alert for anyone seeking another \u201cVon Dutch\u201d \u2014 there are zero club bangers.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo what does it sound like? Although she walked back an earlier comment that this album is her \u201cmaking rock music,\u201d broadly speaking, the concept holds water: The main instruments here are heavily distorted guitars \u2014 the opening of \u201cYeah\u201d recalls the riff of Blur\u2019s \u201cSong 2,\u201d the middle of \u201cCard Declined\u201d sounds like the minimalist punk group Wire \u2014 simple beats and staticky electronic embellishments, which, in another break with tradition for this autotune virtuoso, contrast with her clean, often-untreated vocals. She delivers several songs in a blas\u00e9 talk-singing tone that actually recalls Florence Shaw, singer for the British group Dry Cleaning; her deadpan, sarcastic \u201cWow.\u201d<\/em> on \u201cRock Music\u201d is this album\u2019s funniest moment.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 11 songs are short and succinct, blazing by in just under half an hour. It\u2019s almost entirely the work of Charli and longtime collaborators A.G. Cook and Finn Keane; there are no guest appearances except for an unsettling monologue from iconic filmmaker David Cronenberg at the album\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

Read more Johnny Depp Makes Surprise Comic-Con Appearance as Ebenezer Scrooge<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tYet none of this is to say that it\u2019s a complete 180 from everything she\u2019s done before: Charli has changed musical direction with every album, although lyrically here she\u2019s working a familiar combination of swagger and vulnerability. On \u201cCamera\u201d she sings, \u201c[It] makes me question what I\u2019m doing\/ Do I want to make music?\/ Am I being fucking stupid\/ If I try to be a girl on the screen when I\u2019m turning 34?\u201d; on the coy \u201cWink Wink\u201d she sings, \u201cHere\u2019s the truth and I gotta be honest\/ I\u2019m not a bad girl anymore, I promise\/ Wink wink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd her trademark effervescent melodies shine through on many of the songs: \u201cCamera,\u201d \u201cMagic Metal Montana\u201d (a love letter to Cook, her \u201cbest friend\u201d and musical collaborator for a decade) and the chorus of \u201cWink Wink\u201d all feature her effortless melody lines and sparkling synth flourishes; on the other hand, \u201cI\u2019m Afraid\u201d is as aggravated a song as she\u2019s ever done, with a menacing air and nails-on-a-blackboard guitar on what passes for the chorus.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe closing \u201cNothing Lasts Forever\u201d is the song most similar to her past work, with a bounce in the rhythm and lilting melody that leads up to a lyrical passage that is meaningful enough for her to drop out nearly all of the music before it starts: \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m not scared of anyone\u2026 But you need to discover that feeling of the crushing highs and lows of ego\/ Where one minute you know you\u2019re the worst\/ And the next minute you know you\u2019re better than everyone in the room\/ But know that nothing\u2019s gonna last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe album is probably not what new or fair-weather fans might be expecting, and clearly Charli knows that as well. Because in strictly musical terms, separate from the videos and memes and cover photo (which features John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese, representing icons of the title), \u201cMusic, Fashion, Film\u201d is a sonic palette cleanser to launch the post-\u201cBrat\u201d era in earnest \u2014 familiar but sufficiently distanced from the past, leaving her free to go basically anywhere she wants in her next chapter.<\/p>\n

Read more Odysseus Has Been Funko Pop-ed<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With distorted guitars and simple beats along with effervescent melodies, Charli xcx’s ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ launches her post-‘Brat’ era in earnest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[484],"class_list":["post-4788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-charli-xcx"],"yoast_head":"\nCharli xcx Cranks Up the Guitars and Launches Her Post-\u2018Brat\u2019 Era With the Razor-Sharp \u2018Music, Fashion, Film\u2019: Album Review - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4788\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Charli xcx Cranks Up the Guitars and Launches Her Post-\u2018Brat\u2019 Era With the Razor-Sharp \u2018Music, Fashion, Film\u2019: Album Review - 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