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Charli XCX<\/a> has revealed that she\u2019s moved away from the electronic sound of \u2018Brat<\/a>\u2019 for her next album, saying: \u201cThe dance floor is dead, so now we\u2019re making rock music\u201d.<\/p>\n The record became its own cultural phenomenon<\/a> when it dropped in 2024, inspiring the \u2018Brat summer\u2019 craze, seeing Charli headlining huge festivals worldwide, later inspiring her mockumentary, The Moment<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Now, having provided the score for Emerald Fennell\u2019s new Wuthering Heights<\/a><\/em> adaptation and releasing a companion album<\/a> for the release, Charli has revealed that she is underway with her eighth album and will be shifting towards rock music.<\/p>\n The \u2018Von Dutch\u2019 singer opened up about the upcoming record in a new interview with Vogue<\/a><\/em>, where she unveiled previews of new songs and revealed that she knew that she \u201cwanted to go to Paris to do it\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew it would be this very hectic, rich time and we like creating in that kind of atmosphere,\u201d she said before playing an unreleased song led by electric guitar riffs.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the dance floor is dead, so now we\u2019re making rock music,\u201d she added, explaining that she has been inspired by \u201cbeing out in the world at night\u201d and determined to not make \u2018Brat 2.0\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad,\u201d she told Vogue<\/em>. \u201cWhat\u2019s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be\u201d.<\/p>\n As for why she is making the shift towards rock music \u2013 despite previously saying that her punk-inspired 2014 album \u2018Sucker\u2019 was her least favourite and \u201cfelt fake<\/a>\u201d \u2013 Charli explained that it was about pushing the boundaries of her sound and trying to find avenues that feel new and exciting.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been making music since I was 14. It\u2019s nearly 20 years. I feel very spoiled saying this, but there is not much that can thrill me within music any more,\u201d she explained. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s fun to flip the form. We know there\u2019s gonna be people who are bothered by it, but that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d always rather have style than be vague. Which is the biggest crime, in my opinion,\u201d she added, also sharing that it was the intense hype around \u2018Brat\u2019 that led to her starting to \u201ccrave something opposite\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting back to something more internal is really nice. And really sort of quiet,\u201d she shared, adding that she wants the new record to centre around how art creates a sense of \u201cpurpose in my life\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really want to write songs about my husband forever,\u201d she said, referring to The 1975<\/a>\u2019s George Daniel<\/a>, with whom she tied the knot last year<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how interesting that is, and he knows that. If I write about our relationship, I\u2019m probably only really interested in writing about some of the more obscure feelings of being married.\u201d<\/p>\n The main focus this time, she shared, \u201cis commenting on how I interact with the joint main love of my life outside of George [namely art] and what would happen if that was taken from me. How I would have no purpose, and how for good or bad, art does provide me with purpose in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Charli\u2019s comments were made to the outlet back in February, and while she has not officially announced the new album at time of writing, she has gone on to share a new photo from inside the studio with the caption \u201cI love making things\u2019.<\/p>\n The comments about moving away from \u2018Brat\u2019 align with what Charli said at the end of 2025, when she shared that she was \u201cfeeling more inspired by film than by music\u201d after being left \u201cstuck, empty and barren\u201d <\/a>due to the huge response to the album.<\/p>\n Before then, she said that she wanted her next, non-Wuthering Heights album to go in a completely different direction than \u2018Brat\u2019<\/a>,and her producers A.G. Cook<\/a>, Finn Keane and George Daniel<\/a> said that the follow-up is shaping up to be \u201canti-Brat\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n As well as hinting at a \u201cLou Reed era\u201d rock sound<\/a>, Charli has also told fans that she is \u201cexploring a lot of stuff with strings\u201d for the upcoming album<\/a>, and reps confirmed earlier this month that she was close to finishing the record<\/a>.<\/p>\n She\u2019ll return to the stage to make her headline debut at Reading & Leeds this August<\/a>, topping the festival bill alongside Fontaines D.C.<\/a>, Raye<\/a>, Florence + The Machine<\/a>, Dave<\/a> and Chase & Status<\/a>. Visit here<\/a> for tickets and more information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
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