Charli XCX receives mixed reviews for seventh album Music, Fashion, Film

Following the widespread cultural phenomenon of her 2024 album Brat, British pop artist Charlotte Aitchison has returned with her seventh studio record, Music, Fashion, Film. Released on July 24, the new album arrives after two years defined by the neon-green aesthetic and hedonistic party philosophy of its predecessor, a period that left the singer questioning the machinery of fame and the stability of personal identity.

The record marks a stark sonic departure from previous club-heavy hits. According to Billboard magazine, the new collection is more guitar-focused and less beat-heavy, trading electronic dance beats for alternative tunings, fuzzed-out power chords, and rhythm-driven minimalism. Teaming up once again with close collaborators A.G. Cook and Finn Keane (also known as Easyfun, per The Guardian), the singer explores themes of ego, creativity, and the gold-fish bowl torment of celebrity.

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Critical reception to the release has been sharply divided, creating a wide spectrum of opinion across major publications. The Guardian awarded the record five stars, praising it as another gorgeously astute and disarmingly deep album about the instability of identity. Rolling Stone handed down a four-star rating, describing the project as a brilliant, catchy, and funny look at the machinery of fame while highlighting the track Wink Wink as a standout. The Observer similarly championed the short, tightly themed work, noting that the artist regards laurels like poison ivy.

Not all critics were swayed by the pivot. The Independent awarded the album three stars, arguing that its themes felt confusing and contradictory, capturing a creative process in action rather than a polished final product. The Times offered a similarly mixed three-star assessment, characterizing the release as refreshingly non-careerist while warning that it could feel like a fashionable in-joke with one eye on the indie rock resurgence. In one of the few outright negative assessments, The Telegraph criticized the project's grating production and empty, self-conscious songs, ultimately complaining of ear-ringing incoherence.

The album's visual presentation and unexpected spoken-word features further underline its preoccupation with cinematic legacy and self-examination. The cover art features cultural icons including filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Velvet Underground frontman John Cale, and designer Marc Jacobs. Most notably, the closing track features a spoken interlude from legendary body-horror director David Cronenberg, drawn from an hour-long conversation he recorded with the singer in Toronto. According to GQ, the audio excerpt features Cronenberg discussing a near-death experience where he realized that artistic legacies fade and that true value lies in personal connections, providing a thematic key to unlocking the record's final thesis on letting go of public perception.

Critical Reception at a Glance

• The Guardian: 5/5 stars — Praised as a gorgeously astute, disarmingly deep exploration of identity.
• Rolling Stone: 4/5 stars — Hailed as a brilliant, funny look at the machinery of fame.
• The Independent: 3/5 stars, Characterized as confusing, contradictory, and half-baked.
• The Times: 3/5 stars, Described as refreshingly non-careerist, though potentially alienating to newer listeners.
• The Telegraph: Negative review, Criticized for grating production and empty, self-conscious songwriting.

As the post-Brat era begins in earnest, listeners and critics alike are left waiting to see how this abrupt genre pivot will influence the artist's next creative chapter.