Charli XCX and her inner circle have traded their turntables for guitars. In a recent interview with Laura Snapes for British Vogue, Charli remarked, “I think the dancefloor is dead.” It is a bold declaration, yet one that mirrors the cyclical skepticism often directed at rock and roll throughout its history. With the massive cultural breakthrough of BRAT, the mainstream finally caught up to the artist who spent over a decade being hailed as the “future of pop.” Now that the future has arrived, Charli is looking backward to move forward.
Her recent work on the soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights—which featured collaborations with John Cale and Sky Ferreira—served as a bridge to the techno-goth and synthwave textures of her 2013 debut, True Romance. Her latest single, “Rock Music,” continues this excavation, fusing chunky, distorted guitars with fuzzy, electronic vocal manipulations. It is a sound she slips into with the ease of a pair of perfectly broken-in leather pants.
For those who remember when a Rivers Cuomo writing credit on a Charli track was a genuine musical milestone rather than a niche internet joke, the song feels strikingly familiar. The track features longtime collaborator AG Cook on guitar, grounding the production in what Charli describes as “our version of analog.”
In the wake of the BRAT-mania, Charli noted that her interest in music had waned, with her burgeoning film career taking center stage. While she remains committed to several acting projects, it appears her musical inspiration has been reignited by revisiting her back catalog. She approaches these rock-oriented inclinations with a newfound looseness and clarity, proving that her musical descendants—like 100 gecs, underscores, and Slayyyter—were right to embrace the hyperpop-pop-punk horseshoe theory. To paraphrase the late, great Alex Chilton, “Rock Music” is here to stay.
