Charli xcx is back at it. Charli xcx, the Grammy-nominated British singer-songwriter and leading front-runner of avant-garde pop, is out with a new single, “SS26, ” the newest entry in her ever-growing and experimental series of releases. Charli is bold and beautiful in her attempts at pioneering music and culture, and “SS26” might be one of her most livelyand soulful yet.
For long time Charli fansa gift from her, really”SS26″ just hits differently at the moment. It all feels new and used, taking us from a future we haven’t fully arrived at, and Charli’s melodies have nevers sounded more killer and more authentic: the glittering, blowingdisapproving-wink-and-sink-below-the-beat synths, that deep thumping bass line, the yell-while-sounding-sad speech-sung vocals. And fans have been quick to notice that, while on its own it sounds ‘like she never wanted to leave the club, ‘ it also sounds like ‘a natural progression from the last few songs’.
It sounds synth-heavy and clubbly but also intimate, private even, overflowing with emotion you can feel just as much as hear. Speaking in interviews ahead of the collection release, Charli has been candid about what inspired the collection. ‘There have been many days in the past few weeks where I feel like I have been in this flow state where ideas come so fast I can’t stop wanting to tell people and share them if they want to. So SS26 is kind of made up of those late night thoughts, the chaos of life and finding your own sound in it. It’s for the girls, outsiders, and everyone in between who are trying to get through life.
The ongoing release series, which only took off last year, has become not just an art project but also a life experience for Charlie. In lieu of one album cycle, she has led her followers on this journey allowing them to experience her progression firsthand. those followers has since then become the most dedicated followings around.
They enthusiastically anticipate each release, speculate theories about what is to come, and embody her artistry by sharing their fan art. By the time “SS26” was finally released on online streaming platforms the internet was already in full blossom. Fans uploaded back to back videos of themselves dancing in their rooms, frantically melting in freezing cars with the windows down, crying like the world was about to end.
A fan from Sydney admitted, “Charli knows exactly what I need to hear at the moment I need to hear it.” SS26 is as though she reached directly into my brain, pulled out my stupid-feelings-and hurled them at me like a flash-fucking-bang. This unrestrained emotional boundary-crossing in between feeling and culture is Charli’s specialty. And “SS26” itself musically is a natural progression from what we had before it. It boasts refreshing mixing-of-takes and mixing-of-textures-appreciated touches of production, collaborations which flourish all life in them rather than feeling contrived-and critics are even already comparing it to her best past work, can she make an entire album this good?
Yes not just the music, I think this release shows just how influential Charli xcx has been and continues to be, on our general taste of pop. She has helped promote and the lack of sponsorship and typical record label control, a fresh dynamic innovative new breed of artists, who aren’t afraid to challenge the building blocks of the pop industry. With this in mind, fans are eager to find out what the next step is.
Is “SS26” going to lead into an album, or stay as part of this always evolving noise? Either way, they can be sure that Charli is going to give them something special. If ever there was a time for the music industry to be called predictable, charli xcx is definitely the type of artist to shed some light on this stereotype.
Despite the current popularity of artists are more fixated on Sales than Creativity, her new single “SS26” has shown us that there are artists out there that care more about uniqueness than Box-office. For those who need to escape the ordinary and reconnect with their true self, this new single is the perfect time and place to do it. Charli still manages to demonstrate how music can be totally experimental while maintaining its emotional significance.
“SS26” is easily Charlie’s most personal piece of work to date. It Sure feels like she’s allowed everyone to come along for the ride.
