Black and white instead of poison green: The symbolism behind Charli XCX’s new album “Music, Fashion, Film”
Charli You can see three older men. Is Charli XCX’s album scene now jumping from rave to nursing home? We explain who the three silverbacks on “Music, Fashion, Film” are and what the cover art means.
RIP Dancefloor – resuscitation still possible?
“Rock Music” is the name of the first single for the new project and already suggests that Charli XCX is setting off for new shores. “I never claimed to make a rock album,” she writes on Instagram – and that’s not exactly what this first song sounds like. Despite the dominant guitars, their electrically distorted sound remains. “I think the dance floor is dead. So now we’re making rock music”. Only the rest of her new album will reveal whether resuscitation is still possible.
The symbolic language behind the album cover
Anyone looking for clues about Charli XCX’s current musical and artistic direction will quickly come across the mysterious album cover. Who are the men in black suits enthroned on the plate like a Holy Trinity? From left to right are John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese. The former is a musician and ex-member of the Velvet Underground, the latter is a well-known (fashion) designer and the latter is the director of classic films such as “Taxi Driver” and “The Wolf of Wall Street”. The three men embody the album title in exactly the right order: Music, Fashion, Film. The old men are not just “old men” – they are symbols for entire industries. Charli XCX had already worked with John Cale on the song “House,” which was part of her soundtrack album for the film “Wuthering Heights.”
From poison green to black and white
The album title also describes her: as a musician, as a fashion icon and as the creator of a film soundtrack. What the Brit plans to do with the new chapter remains her secret. However, expectations for the new era are already high: after an album as defining as “brat,” fans can be curious to see whether the “brat summer” will be followed by a “music, fashion, film” summer.