Matt Crossick/Variety
The Brat summer phenomenon has officially reached its expiration date. Charli XCX is pivoting, trading in her signature club-ready synths for a gritty, guitar-driven rock aesthetic.
In a candid interview with British Vogue released Thursday (April 16), the pop visionary revealed that her eighth studio album is currently in the works, and it represents a radical departure from her previous sound. The upcoming record promises heavy electric guitar arrangements—a sharp turn for an artist best known for shaping the blueprint of modern hyper-pop and delivering the relentless, thumping beats that defined 2024’s Brat.
“I enjoy flipping the script,” Charli remarked regarding the shift. “There will inevitably be some who find it jarring, but that’s entirely expected.”
Offering a glimpse into her creative process, the singer shared a snippet of a new track that features a blunt, revelatory lyric: “I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.”
While industry pivots are common, this transition is particularly bold. Charli recently achieved a career milestone with the chart-topping success of Brat, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Abandoning that momentum in favor of a genre overhaul underscores her desire to evolve rather than repeat past triumphs.
“If I had opted for another dance-centric project, it would have felt exhausting and hollow,” she admitted. “My interest lies in testing the limits and redefining my own creative perspective.”
Her recent experimental soundtrack for the Wuthering Heights adaptation—which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200—served as a cinematic interlude, though the artist has previously noted she views it as a standalone project rather than a definitive chapter in her main discography.
Beyond the sonic evolution, Charli is also refining her lyrical approach. Regarding her marriage to The 1975 drummer George Daniel, she noted a desire to avoid the common tropes of relationship songwriting. “I’m not interested in writing songs about my husband indefinitely,” she stated. “If I do write about our life, I want to explore the more nuanced, obscure complexities of matrimony.”
