“I’m A Culture Writer & This Is My Honest Review Of Charli XCX’s New Album”
Following the unprecedented success of 2024’s Brat Summer, when Charli XCX announced a new album for July, we all collectively sat up and paid attention. Anticipation has been building for months, fuelled by singles like Rock Music and SS26, and today she finally delivered: Music, Fashion, Film is officially here. But is it any good? And, more importantly, does it hold up against Brat? Here’s my full review.
Initial thoughts
I’ll admit it, I went into Music, Fashion, Film with a healthy dose of scepticism. Following up Brat was always going to be a near-impossible task, and there’s a very real fear that comes with an artist chasing a cultural moment that big. I was nervous she would simply end up living in the shadow of her 2024 self, but I am so happy to say I was proved wrong.
When the singles started rolling out earlier this year, I approached them cautiously, half expecting to be underwhelmed. Instead, I was won over almost immediately. Rock Music set the tone with its distorted, hyperpop-inflected edge, but it was SS26 that really got me, and it quickly landed a spot on my heavy rotation playlist.
I was nervous Charli would simply end up living in the shadow of her 2024 self, but I am so happy to say I was proved wrong.
What struck me most on a first full listen is how much the album packs into so little space. At just eleven tracks and around half an hour, Music, Fashion, Film is lean (almost aggressively so), but it doesn’t feel thin. It’s brimming with meditations on fame, mortality, consumerism, and identity, all while effortlessly sitting alongside the record’s more playful, throwaway moments. More than anything, though, this is a genuine departure. Charli could have played it safe and delivered Brat Part Two, and honestly, a lot of artists in her position would have. Instead, Music, Fashion, Film sounds like almost nothing else in her catalogue. It’s guitar-driven, sharper-edged, and less interested in dancefloor euphoria than in something moodier and more reflective.
Charli could have played it safe and delivered ‘Brat Part Two’, and honestly, a lot of artists in her position would have. Instead, ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ sounds like almost nothing else in her catalogue.
Amelia, Culture & Lifestyle Writer/Creator
My favourite tracks
Overall, while I respect this album massively, on the whole I don’t think it’s one I’ll find myself returning to often. That’s less a knock on the record itself and more a matter of personal taste, it’s a bold, ambitious body of work, but it just doesn’t always sit in my particular sweet spot. That said, there are still a few genuine standouts for me. SS26 remains the clear highlight, as I’ve already gushed about, but 2007 also earns its place as a favourite. It’s one of the lighter, more playful moments on the album, and it offered a welcome bit of nostalgic fun amid some of the record’s heavier, more introspective themes.
Overall, while I respect this album massively, on the whole I don’t think it’s one I’ll find myself returning to often, though that’s less a knock on the record itself and more a matter of personal taste.
The Handbook team reacts
The rest of The Handbook office also have lots of thoughts on the new album, and even appear to be slightly divided. While for some, it’s an instant hit, others are yet to be sold:
I’ve always loved what Charli does because it feels like she’s constantly tearing down what she made before and starting over. She never repeats herself, and everything she puts out feels completely her. Even the parts of this album I don’t love make me appreciate it more. Every era feels completely new, but it’s always unmistakably her.
Caitlin, Senior Campaign Success Manager
At this stage, I don’t get it, especially “Rock Music”, but everyone said that about Brat at the start and look how that took off. It’s not for me right now but I will watch this space.
Kitty, Social Media Director
It feels like Charli is officially entering her soft girl era and I’m so here for it. SS26 lives rent free in my head!
Maddie, Campaign Success Executive
Final thoughts
So, does Music, Fashion, Film live up to the hype, and does it hold up against Brat? The honest answer is that it isn’t really a fair comparison to make, and I don’t think Charli was trying to make one either. Brat was a cultural moment as much as it was a record, and chasing that would have been a losing game.
What she’s delivered instead is something braver, an album that trades dancefloor euphoria for something moodier, sharper and more reflective, and refuses to play it safe just to satisfy expectations. It won’t be an album I return to constantly, but I finished it with a real appreciation for what Charli was trying to do, and for an artist willing to walk away from her biggest moment rather than repeat it.
Full tracklist
1. Rock Music
2. SS26
3. Card Declined
4. Camera
5. 2007
6. I’m Afraid
7. Yeah
8. Wink Wink
9. Persona
10. Magic Metal Montana
11. No One Lasts Forever featuring David Cronenberg
