Album review: Music, Fashion, Film
ALBUM – Music, Fashion, Film
ARTIST – Charli XCX
LABEL – Atlantic Records
GRADE – B
The newest album from Essex star and reformed party girl Charli XCX, Music, Fashion, Film manages to be devastatingly vapid and teeters on self-destructive. Coming fresh off the heels of ‘Brat summer,’ Music, Fashion, Film takes a new, distinctive direction while still building up what has worked for XCX in the past.
With 11 songs on this 30-minute tracklist, XCX explores ideas and themes of regret, change, and tenuous relationships. With the continued musical motifs of stutters, repetition, and house-meets-pop-rock, it’s clear here that Music, Fashion, Film has something to say about the singer’s career and personal life post Brat.
I really enjoyed this album as a concept! It’s abrasive while still understanding what makes music enjoyable for a listener, and the way that XCX is able to create cohesion out of chaos really highlights her ability as an artist to make bold decisions that work well together.
However, sometimes I found the decision made with the backing instrumentals and most notably, the repetition found throughout different tracks, to be overdone. For example, ‘2007’ repeats the same two lines for the majority of its two-minute runtime. It’s a vibe, but it feels a little empty.
Still, the album has a few standout successes. ‘I’m Afraid,’ ‘Wink wink,’ and ‘No one lasts forever’ are three examples of XCX taking her ideas to the next, freakiest, weirdest level.
Speaking of weird, let’s go back to ‘No one lasts forever.’ This track is where, oddly enough, Music, Fashion, Film reminded me of earlier work from musician-comedian Bo Burnham. The juxtaposition of coarse and biting electric guitars with confessional lyrics felt ironic in a similar way, and I was a big fan.
Ultimately, while I can’t see Music, Fashion, Film becoming a phenomenon like her predecessor, I think it’s an honest comeback for XCX. It’s not perfect, but it has a certain c-c-c-charm.
-Acacia Carol
