Charli XCX has announced her seventh studio album, 'Music, fashion, film', set for release on July 24, revealing a cover that has quickly become a major topic of conversation online.
The new record is the anticipated follow-up to her 2024 album Brat, a project that dominated cultural discourse and became a fixture in queer spaces, popularizing the term 'brat summer'. For her next act, Charli is making a distinct conceptual statement, beginning with the album's artwork.
Photographed by Aidan Zamiri, the black-and-white cover does not feature the singer. Instead, it shows three influential men seated in a sparse, dilapidated room: musician and Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and film director Martin Scorsese. The trio directly represents the three pillars of the album's title.
The Shadow of 'Brat'
The challenge of following an album as successful as Brat is significant, but Charli XCX appears unconcerned with replicating its success. In a recent interview with Culted, she expressed a relaxed attitude towards the album's reception. "I don't really feel pressure, because you can never really do something twice," she said. "My next record will probably be a flop, which I'm honestly fine with."
This new project seems to signal a sonic shift as well. The two lead singles, 'Rock Music' and 'SS26', move away from the signature dance beats and autotune that defined Brat. The album's title is derived from a lyric in 'SS26': ‘We’re walkin’ on a runway that goes straight to hell / Nothing’s gonna save us, not music, fashion or film’.
A Community Conversation
The cover concept has drawn praise from figures like Olivia Rodrigo and James Corden, who called it "perhaps the best album cover of this era." However, it has also sparked a nuanced discussion among fans. While many appreciate the artistic concept, some have questioned the choice to feature only men as representatives of these fields.
Online, fans have proposed an alternative cover featuring pioneering women, suggesting names like musician Patti Smith, fashion designer Miuccia Prada, and filmmaker Sofia Coppola. This conversation highlights the community's engagement with Charli's work and the broader themes of representation in the arts.
Speaking to British Vogue about her artistic direction, Charli noted her interest in challenging expectations. "For me, it's fun to overthrow the established order. We know there will be people who are annoyed by it, but that's fine."
