Charli XCX Dials Up the Distortion: 'The Dance Floor is Dead, So Now We're Making Rock Music'

Charli XCX is ditching the electronic beats of 'Brat' for a rock-infused sound on her upcoming album, declaring the death of the dance floor and embracing electric guitars.

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Charli XCX Dials Up the Distortion: 'The Dance Floor is Dead, So Now We're Making Rock Music'

Charli XCX has announced a sonic shift, moving away from the electronic landscape of 'Brat' towards a rock-oriented direction for her next album. "The dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music," she stated.

'Brat' became a cultural phenomenon in 2024, sparking the 'Brat summer,' headlining major festivals, and inspiring her mockumentary, The Moment.

Following her work on the score for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation and its companion album, Charli is now diving into her eighth album with a rock-centric vision.

In an interview with Vogue, the 'Von Dutch' singer shared previews of new songs and revealed her decision to record in Paris. "We knew it would be this very hectic, rich time and we like creating in that kind of atmosphere," she explained.

She played an unreleased song driven by electric guitar riffs, emphasizing her move away from 'Brat 2.0.'

"If I’d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad," she told Vogue. "What’s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be".

Despite previously calling her 2014 punk-inspired album 'Sucker' her least favorite and "felt fake", Charli now aims to push her sonic boundaries.

"I’ve been making music since I was 14. It’s nearly 20 years. I feel very spoiled saying this, but there is not much that can thrill me within music any more," she explained. "For me, it’s fun to flip the form. We know there’s gonna be people who are bothered by it, but that’s fine."

"I’d always rather have style than be vague. Which is the biggest crime, in my opinion," she added, noting that the hype around ‘Brat’ made her "crave something opposite."

"Getting back to something more internal is really nice. And really sort of quiet," she shared, aiming for the new record to explore art's role in creating "purpose in my life."

"I don’t really want to write songs about my husband forever," she said, referring to The 1975’s George Daniel, with whom she married last year. "I’m not sure how interesting that is, and he knows that. If I write about our relationship, I’m probably only really interested in writing about some of the more obscure feelings of being married."

The new album will focus on her relationship with art and what would happen if that was taken from her.

In late 2025, Charli expressed feeling "more inspired by film than by music" after the overwhelming response to 'Brat'.

Before that, she hinted at a desire to move in a completely different direction and her producers A.G. Cook, Finn Keane and George Daniel said that the follow-up is shaping up to be “anti-Brat”.

In addition to hinting at a “Lou Reed era” rock sound, Charli has also told fans that she is “exploring a lot of stuff with strings” for the upcoming album, and reps confirmed earlier this month that she was close to finishing the record.

She’ll headline Reading & Leeds this August alongside Fontaines D.C., Raye, Florence + The Machine, Dave and Chase & Status. Visit here for tickets and more information.

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Charli XCX Dials Up the Distortion: 'The Dance Floor is Dead, So Now We're Making Rock Music'

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