Charli xcx is the new poster girl for indie fashion But some people were too busy arguing to understand it
Speculation surrounding the artistic direction of Charli xcx’s eighth album (XCX8) has been growing increasingly intense for months, fueled equally by hype and controversy, which arrived almost immediately. Especially following the statements released to British Vogue, in which the British popstar spoke with Laura Snapes about her upcoming project, describing it as a “rock reinvention”. One sentence in particular captured public attention: «I think the dance floor is dead… so now we’re making rock music».
And yet, the new EP Rock Music plays precisely on the suggestion of a new era, while the early release on Substack of the lyrics for Spring Summer 26 immediately reignited attention around the artist’s return, assuming she had ever truly gone away at all. The text, suspended between references to recent controversies and anticipations of the album’s future imaginary, suggests a layered, sincere and deeply self-aware project. There is much to expect, but also much to decipher: from the abandonment of the “party girl” aesthetic to the romantic and decadent allure of a rock imaginary that has been reinterpreted and resemanticized, whose language is anything but emulative. All without forgetting that glorious past (BRAT), which made Charli xcx one of the most mutable and transversal contemporary icons of contemporaneity, capable of moving across different genres while constantly balancing between absolute relevance and dissolution.
“Spring Summer 26”
Spring Summer 26 is the title of the new EP announced yesterday through a newsletter published on Substack by the British artist. And perhaps it is no coincidence that this promotional approach, unusual yet extremely targeted, allowed listeners, even the most critical ones, to focus exclusively on the lyrics, without the “sonic distractions” of an already declared rock imaginary. Spring Summer 26 is at once a statement of intent and a disillusioned confession.
On one hand, it suggests an artistic awareness that the new album seems eager to express also through the numerous prestigious collaborations involved; on the other, it takes on the tone of public apologies that smell like extinguished cigarettes and resonate like an electric guitar distorted by the weight of a musical past still impossible to erase: that of the Brat Era. The lyrics read: «Can’t believe the things I’ve done / I don’t do them now / But I didn’t do it / Even if I did / No it’s not my fault», and continue, «Wrote a really good notes app apology / Think my politics could work as a press strategy / And my heritage could give me quite the USP / Can’t hide the fact I’d rather take the easy road / Yeah I think I’ll be alright if I look good in the clothes / Spring Summer 26».
In a certain sense, the new EP seems to summarize everything that has happened over the span of just a few weeks, but also a matured awareness that perhaps Brat was not yet willing to confront: «Yeah we’re walking on a runway that goes straight to hell / I know». Through these statements, it almost seems as though Charli xcx wants to take a step back from what she previously declared, not so much as an act of repentance, but rather as a reflection of a contemporary landscape in which an artist’s digital footprint cannot truly be erased or burned away forever. For this reason, the iconic “Let it burn” projected onto the ledwall during her recent Coachella set, accompanied by the symbolic burning of the giant acid-green flag that had defined the imagery of Brat, now appears more as a symbolic gesture than a true damnatio memoriae.
A conscious creativity between fashion and music
«If I had made another album leaning more toward dance sonorities, it would have felt forced, very sad», Charli xcx told British Vogue. The artist therefore seems to be moving toward rock sonorities, while still reaffirming her desire to reinterpret them through her own perspective: «What interests me is bending the possibilities of what my perspective on rock could be». For fans, the near total absence of Auto-Tune, an element that has always been central to the artist’s vocal processing, will come as a surprise. In line with the chosen genre, the new project will also include a strong presence of guitars.
The mere fact that she speaks of a personal perspective already allows this shift to be interpreted not as a simplistic embrace of rock, but rather as a process of identity re-elaboration. A perspective that concerns not only sound, but also image. Charli xcx’s new public aesthetic is in fact moving away from the techno-rave aesthetic of Brat toward a far more gothic, romantic and curated imaginary. This is also evident in the flyer inviting fans to «attend the presentation of Charli XCX SS26», namely a livestream scheduled for May 21st. According to reports, the video will be directed by Torso, the duo formed by Miodrag Manojlović and Lukas von Haller, the latter also involved in directing the short film Confessions II by Madonna. Furthermore, Charli had already collaborated with the Parisian filmmakers on the 2024 music video for Von Dutch, characterized by a neurotic and disturbing aesthetic.
Even the stylistic choices now seem guided by a new visual maturity, capable of promoting contamination and resignification. Emblematic is the post published on her secondary profile b.sides, in which the artist wears a reinterpretation of a Saint Laurent SS88 look, reworked by Anthony Vaccarello for the recent Met Gala. Here, the floral element intertwines with the artist’s gothic aesthetic, creating a balance between decadent romanticism and contemporary glamour and, as the lyrics themselves suggest: «Can’t hide the fact I’d rather take the easy road / Yeah I think I’ll be alright if I look good in the clothes». Fashion therefore becomes a form of protection and disguise, but also a tool to channel new identities and distract from previous ones. A hypothesis seemingly reinforced by the possible collaborations with central figures of the creative industry, also visible through the comments left beneath the artist’s latest posts by Lyas, Coach, Zana Bayne, Anthony Vaccarello himself and Dan Sablon of Zadig & Voltaire, as well as Amelia Dimoldenberg.
Thus, Charli xcx’s new album does not seem to be merely the product of an industry that often allows itself to be misunderstood, as the controversies of recent months have demonstrated, but rather something more subtle and layered. A work that speaks of vulnerability, reinvention and a creativity infused with awareness. And this is precisely what Spring Summer 26, by isolating the text from the sound, seems eager to anticipate: the cynicism and disillusionment of an artist who has crossed through the past, inhabited the present and is now attempting to rewrite the future of the music industry. We remain here, waiting for a revolution that carries with it the weight of previous glories and is ready, once again, to destabilize the present.