Album Review: Charli XCX - "Music, Fashion, Film"
Music, Fashion, Film, Charli XCX's eighth studio album, is a tour de force. Charli continues to shift in sound and style by incorporating elements of rock, 2000's indie, and punk into her music.
It's still Charli XCX's time to shine. Ever since releasing her hugely successful record Brat back in 2024, Charli has only gotten bigger. She released the dark, dreamy Wuthering Heights soundtrack earlier this year, with all newly recorded material. Since then, she's been promoting a proper studio album follow up to Brat. Titled Music, Fashion, Film, Charli's eighth studio album is a tour de force. Instead of a safe decision by riding the coattails of Brat's success, Charli continues to shift in sound and style by incorporating elements of rock, 2000's indie, and punk into her music. There's more of a moodiness here. I mean, just look at the album's cover: a stark photo featuring John Cale, Martin Scorsese, and Marc Jacobs all in a depressed kitchen like it's the days of the Great Depression. There's more glitch, lo-fi and grit. Things are messy, muddy, and all over the place. This isn't a problem but rather it only adds to the album's charm. Lead single "Rock Music" is a stark change of pace for fans of Brat and at first, I couldn't make heads or tails on whether it was good. But with another listen, I quickly decided that "Rock Music" is an absolute banger that gets better with each new listen.
"SS26" is a brighter, cleaner tune that's more straightforward in its pop rock appeal. It even comes off as something Phoebe Bridgers could pull off. There's more 2000's indie rock and electro pop influence on the thrillingly glitchy "2007" and the hyped up "Yeah," which is a massive album highlight. "Wink Wink" builds off of what makes "SS26" so smart with added cheeky humor (I'm not a bad girl anymore / wink wink"). "Card Declined" has a remarkable and mesmerizing atmosphere with its noise and eerie, haunting melodies. The twinkling, slick, rapidly shifting guitars on "Camera" remind me of groups like Phoenix or Bloc Party and has a strong chorus. "I'm Afraid" has a haunting delivery with its chilled guitar, noise and rising progression in sound as the chorus rises. "Magic Metal Montana" also has strong Phoenix influence (primarily their 2008 It's Never Been Like That record) with a driving groove and sharp guitars. Charli sings about her joy of making music with her notable friends and collaborators, like A.G. Cook, who co-produced the album. The album concludes with "No One Lasts Forever," dealing with mortality and legacy. It randomly features horror director David Cronenberg reciting a narration towards its ending, which adds a haunting and creepy finish to an already cold and disparate song.
We were all wondering what Charli would do after Brat and her latest follow up does not disappoint in the slightest. In many ways, Music Fashion Film exceeds expectations and offers more interesting styles, themes, and instrumental changeups than her preceding album. It's a rougher, glitchier, noisier effort that's extremely memorable and impressive. Despite it being only thirty minutes, it simply makes you want to hit repeat again and again, leaving you wanting more in the best way. Charli continues her hot streak and one can only wonder what she'll do next. With this trajectory, hopefully something more unexpected. But regardless, it will be charming and infectious as hell.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Rock Music," "Yeah," "2007," "SS26," "No One Lasts Forever"
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