There are lots of reasons why people leave their houses and party at night, in gatherings at clubs or more intimately at a friend’s place. Sometimes they go in order to meet other people. Sometimes they go to bring a kind of excitement to their life that they feel is lacking. Sometimes they even go to work on their social skills. But one important reason that a lot of people go out is to distract themselves. Parties can help someone distance themselves from their personal troubles, whether they be anxieties, relationship issues, lack of self-esteem, trauma, etc. Charli xcx’s previous album, Brat, was pretty much a representation of one of these parties. Her new album, Music, Fashion, Film, is what happens when you come back home from that party and reflect. Let’s get into it.
If the black-and-white album cover didn’t tip you off, this is the darkest record Charli xcx has made in years, rivaling the COVID-era contemplation of How I’m Feeling Now in 2020. The album somehow feels both down-to-earth and anxious, with lines like “When the world is gonna end, no hope for any of it” and “I’m afraid, I’m afraid / I’m nothing without him” really showing Charli’s existential and paranoid mindset. It’s a critical switch in tone from Brat, both lyrically and sonically. Though Brat showed Charli balancing her feelings of paranoia and regret with club bangers and efforts to escape these emotions, the balance is gone on Music, Fashion, Film, where Charli is fully confronting these issues. Consequently, the adrenaline-boosting electropop of Brat is replaced with much moodier indie rock and alternative dance. Like she said, “the dance floor is dead.” Even still, Charli has not abandoned her electronic sound completely; it has simply taken on a new shape and been combined with rock influences. Does this change in sound work? That’s been a source of contention, but honestly, I believe it does.
I will admit that on first listen I found the instrumentals empty and rather underwhelming. Once I gave it another try, however, they took on this uneasy, confrontational sort of quality. Even the poppier tracks felt ominous and foreboding, which fit the lyrics very well. The electronic synths and drums on certain tracks make the guitars feel more mechanical and non-human, which makes for a very eerie sound. Some of it does sound bare and more minimal, but that emptiness is exactly the point. It greatly adds to a sense of discomfort that I believe this album was intended to bring out. It’s not as welcoming an environment as past albums, but with the project’s pained lyrics, who would expect it to be? Even so, though the simplistic sound is still effective, I do wish Charli experimented a little more with it. I think a couple slight switch-ups could have made the track list feel more multi-dimensional and a bit more memorable. Nonetheless, I believe Charli does a good job overall of melding indie rock and electronic music in her own unique way.
Now in terms of its lyrics, I think that Music, Fashion, Film has been underappreciated. Similar to the album’s sound, its lyrics are deceptively simple while conveying more complex feelings. Within “Card Declined,” for example, Charli mostly lists things money can buy, from jewelry and shoes to a new personality. These lyrics aren’t incredibly dense or descriptive, but they show Charli spending money to look for an escape from life, strongly conveying the stress she is under and the escape she yearns for with few words. Less is more, and on a closer examination that’s what I found with most lyrics here. “Camera,” with a chorus mostly consisting of the phrase “how it makes me feel” shows how Charli sees her celebrity persona as a way to feel more confident in herself, even if it’s disconnected from her real personality. “I’m Afraid” shows Charli being, well, “afraid.” The lyrics depict an anxious mental spiral, and lines like “I’m a wife, I’m a kid / I’m destroyed, I’m a bitch” are crushing enough that not much more is needed. I really appreciate how most of Charli’s lyrics convey these darker, more personal feelings in a simplified yet effective way, which makes them feel more relatable. Hinting at these themes is sometimes more impactful than going too in-depth. I will say, though, that the songs “2007” and “Yeah” do feel a bit too simplified. As catchy as they are, they feel vague in what they are trying to convey, especially the repeated “I don’t wanna” and “You don’t wanna” s on “Yeah.” That said, this approach works more than it doesn’t.
Finally, I really love what this project is trying to communicate with its lyrical themes. I’ve already said that this is a darker and more personal project, but the commentary Charli offers really brings something substantive through all the personal turmoil. I believe the album title, Music, Fashion, Film¸ is meant to represent mediums people escape their own lives through, which I realized with the line “Nothing’s gonna save us, not music, fashion, or film” from “SS26.” I’m sure the irony is not lost on her as an artist, and perhaps this project works to force the listener do the opposite of escape: to look inward and confront their internal conflicts. The start of the tracklist shows Charli looking to escape through distractions in her own life with songs like “Card Declined” and “Camera,” but she begins to confront her issues head-on as the project continues, as shown by the paranoid spiral of “I’m Afraid” and the internal desire to change presented by “Wink Wink.”
Towards the end of the album, Charli reaches her own conclusion. The penultimate track “Magic Metal Montana” has Charli realizing that support from her close friends can help soothe her pain, and the closer “No One Lasts Forever” brings her to the simultaneously comforting and uneasy fact given by the title. It’s a thought that can be depressing but relieving in the same breath. It’s important to cherish every moment and not overthink yourself, because whatever you do will eventually be forgotten. The outro spoken by David Cronenberg even turns the argument of artistic impact on its head, arguing that an artist can have a project remembered by others, but they themselves will not be around long enough to appreciate most of the impact their art has, for better or for worse. It’s a very solemn and existential way to end the album, but it’s also a realistic and vital one. It’s what this whole personal journey of a project has led her to, and it’s a strong conclusion.
Even though I get the feeling it will be a pretty polarizing album, I enjoyed Music, Fashion, Film. I found it to be strong as a full listen, and I really appreciate what the project has to say through its minimalistic approach. If you haven’t heard it, please give it a listen and form your own opinion.
