Charli xcx is back, but she has hardly been quiet since she painted the collective consciousness neon green with 2024’s mega-successful BRAT album. Recently, she released her buzzy BRAT mockumentary, The Moment, which has already sparked significant conversation.
The British superstar recently spoke with British Vogue‘s Laura Snapes about her forthcoming album, which the publication dubs a “rock reinvention.” In a quote already making headlines, Charli says, “I think the dance floor is dead… so now we’re making rock music.” This artistic evolution marks a departure from the synth-heavy sound that defined her recent work.
Read below for everything you need to know about Charli xcx’s forthcoming album, for now dubbed xcx8.
What will xcx8 sound like?
“If I’d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad,” Charli xcx tells British Vogue. She is leaning into a rock sound on the project, but still promises to do it in her own way. “What’s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on [Rock] could be,” she says.
A surprise for longtime fans, Snapes reports, is the album’s noted lack of Auto-Tune, a staple of Charli’s vocal processing. Per the record’s chosen genre, it will also feature a fair bit of guitar, signaling a shift toward a more organic, alternative rock aesthetic.
Who did Charli xcx work with on xcx8?
Charli xcx worked on her forthcoming album with longtime collaborators A.G. Cook and Finn Keane (previously known as Easyfun).
Where did Charli xcx record xcx8?
Charli xcx, Cook, and Keane made the album in Paris. “We knew we wanted to go to Paris to do it,” Charli xcx tells British Vogue. “We knew it would be this very hectic, rich time and we like creating in that kind of atmosphere.”
What themes will xcx8 explore?
Snapes reports on multiple songs she heard while in the studio with Charli. One track, reportedly about the difficulty of forging identity through fashion and consumerism, features “queasy feedback warps,” with Charli’s vocal performance described as a “dead-eyed incantation.”
Another song, recounting a party at a Paris “philosopher girl’s” home, features the refrain: “Nothing’s gonna last forever / And no one’s gonna last forever.” Snapes notes the refrain is clearly a reference to the wild success of BRAT and the ensuing sense of overwhelm it wrought. Snapes also reports that Charli sustained “serious nerve damage in her neck from performing” the Rush Tour, which has given the star a “very traumatic” relationship with the stage.
Another song, described as “simple” with just guitar and vocals, includes the line, “I can take you to heaven like it’s 2007 / Pop star in my bedroom like it’s 2007,” alluding to a simpler time of creation pre-fame. One song will explicitly explore the notion of “the dance floor being dead.”
When will xcx8 be released?
There is no set release date for xcx8 as of April 16, 2026.
