Charli XCX is moving on from the “Brat” era and toward a new musical direction. In a recent British Vogue feature, the singer said her next album will be a sharp turn into rock music, marking a clear break from the dance-heavy sound that defined her recent work. The article describes one new track with heavily processed guitars and a vocal delivery that leads into the line, “I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.”
Another song on the project is described as having queasy feedback and a detached, chant-like vocal style, with lyrics about “shopping for a new personality” and “falling at the first hurdle.” Charli said the song reflects ideas about identity, performance, and how people can present themselves differently depending on the moment. “It crosses over into how you can dress up who you are and become the ideal fantasy that you want to be in that moment,” she said. “Everybody is performing, in a way.”
At the time of the interview, the album was still unfinished, but Charli explained why she wanted to make such a dramatic shift. She said that making another dance-leaning record would have felt emotionally difficult and sad. Instead, she wanted to explore something different and challenge her own expectations of what rock music could sound like through her perspective.
Charli also said the creative process led her toward something more inward and subdued. “It made me crave something opposite,” she said, adding that returning to a more internal and quieter place felt refreshing. The feature suggests that this next album will not simply continue the energy of “Brat,” but instead reframe Charli XCX’s sound around a darker, more experimental rock approach.
The new project appears to be shaped by both sonic experimentation and themes of identity, self-presentation, and emotional contrast. While the album is not yet complete, Charli’s comments indicate that she is deliberately pushing away from the club-focused style that helped define her recent success.
