DOUBLE ALBUM REVIEW: 'Music, Fashion, Film' by Charli XCX and 'new avatar' by Kelela

Dance-pop diva Charli XCX and alternative R&B singer Kelela both dip their toes into rock music. Whose ‘rock’ album is the best?

I don’t usually like bratty pop. Charli XCX’s critically acclaimed 2024 album brat was certainly bratty, but unlike early Charli XCX material, I found it to be endearingly bratty. A sassy, tongue-in-cheek brattiness as opposed to a snotty, obnoxious brattiness. And the hyperpop-flavoured beats made for some of the most forward-thinking production on a mainstream dance pop album in years.

Given the success of ‘brat summer’, you might have expected Charli to continue building on this dance pop sound. But no – she’s decided to take us in a new sonic direction on Music, Fashion, Film, which she makes clear on the opening track: ‘I think the dancefloor is dead, so now we’re making rock music’. She has a point: nobody can afford to go clubbing any more, so EDM is naturally losing its audience. But rock music is probably not the best trade-off if you’re trying to make hits in 2026, right? Like, surely rock is even more dead??

Evidently not, as this album did end up debuting at number one on the UK Album Charts, and I think it’s because, despite Charli’s claims, this isn’t a pure rock album. It’s another pop album, but with a rock veneer. Yes, there are electric guitars all over this record. But Charli’s still belting out decidedly poppy semi-autotuned hugely infectious hooks over them.

She’s not the first artist to switch from hyperpop to a more rock-flavoured sound – 100 Gecs did it with their second album 10,000 Gecs. Charli’s sound is obviously a lot more accessible, but there is still a bit of experimenting on this record such as the glitched out delivery of ‘ro-o-o-o-o-o-ck music’ and stuttering guitar riffs of ‘Camera’ engineered by producer A.G. Cook (who also produced most of the beats on brat). The result is pop-rock album that feels a lot edgier than your average P!nk album or Olivia Rodrigo record.

As for the lyrics, they’re a lot more vulnerable and introspective this time around. Nothing here feels quite as personal and raw as ‘I think about it all the time’. But tracks like ‘Camera’ do delve into the pitfalls of fame, while ‘Card Declined’ explores the exhaustion and shallowness of keeping up with trends. Things get particularly deep on the closer, which tackles the theme of mortality, ending with a macabre repeated recording of David Cronenbourg saying ‘they are dead, they are gone/ no-one lasts forever’. There’s definitely a sense that Charli is ready to move on from her bratty persona and take on more mature subject matter. But I like how she still toys with her bratty side on tracks like ‘Wink Wink’.

I do think some of these tracks are a little half-baked (opener 'Rock Music' feels like it's just getting started when it abruptly ends), but otherwise Music, Fashion, Film is an exciting dive into new territory with plenty of addictive hooks and a cool hyperrock sound.

Now to move onto Kelela’s new album New Avatar. Her unique R&B style consists of Sade-like vocals and a left-field choice of beats. I loved the spacy smoky slowjams of her 2017 album Take Me Apart (it made my favourite albums of 2017 list) and I also enjoyed the more ambient synth-driven songs of her 2023 follow-up record Raven. This new LP sees her continuing to make experimental production choices by adopting a guitar-heavy backdrop that feels very inspired by shoegaze artists. While I’m certain some Bandcamp artist with 20 streams has already been there, it’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed shoegaze being mixed with R&B. What shall we call this new genre? Soulgaze?

Her enchanting voice paired with the effects-slathered guitars give this album a uniquely dreamy feel. The most immersive and intimate tracks are the ones where there is no percussion such as 'going down' and 'retaliation lullaby'. Opener 'idea 1' feels particularly powerful  - it uses the Nirvana playbook trick of soft clean guitars in the verse contrasted with loud distorted guitars in the chorus, but similarly does away with drums to create a song that’s ambient but equally dynamic. There are a few tracks with drums that I think do help break up these percussionless tracks and make them hit harder. Personally, I would have preferred if all the songs stuck with the shoegazey guitar palette - tracks like 'new life forms' and 'the bridge' deviate into 808s and synths, and feel a bit out of place, but I don’t hate them (PinkPantheress’s soft voice makes her a perfect choice of guest).

Kelela definitely isn’t as adept at writing hooks as Charli, which is why she hasn’t ever experienced the same level of commercial success. However, she is a much more talented singer and is able to convey a much deeper level of intimacy with her voice. Most of these tracks seem to deal with emotional exhaustion in a relationship and she's very good at making you feel that pain. 

I think both albums are pretty novel approaches to pop-rock. Do I enjoy one more than the other? I'm not sure - they both aim for different vibes. Charli's Music, Fashion, Film feels more energising. Kelela's New Avatar is more meditative. 

Music, Fashion, Film by Charli XCX: ★★★★☆

New Avatar by Kelela: ★★★★☆