Welcome Back, ‘True Romance’ Charli xcx

The only right way Charli xcx could go after Brat was left.

She’s spent the last year or so filming approximately 36,000 different movies (okay, seven…but that’s still a lot), plus creating an entire companion album for the upcoming film adaptation of Wuthering Heights after thoroughly dominating 2024.

Building off of Brat with anything too similar would be a mistake, but she’s no fool. This is the perfect opportunity for her to get weird, get inspired, experiment, and figure out what’s next. (She has said Lou Reed and “strings” are on the mood board thus far. Ready.)



That being said, as a certified Angel since the day “Stay Away” hit the Internet (see my first MuuMuse post about that 19-year-old girl – a baby blogger myself at 22), I’m thrilled to hear how eerie all the Wuthering stuff sounds so far.

“House” with the legendary John Cale of The Velvet Underground is pure bloody horror. (Complimentary!) But it’s the follow-up, “Chains of Love,” that instantly transports me back to True Romance Charli all over again. That’s not to say she’s repeating herself – it’s definitely different – but it’s absolutely reminiscent of those Goth-Pop™️ debut days, just more sophisticated and worldly this time around. (Not a surprise – she did it with Justin Raisen, who was there at the start.) And yes, it’s also very “Cross You Out” with Sky!

I’ve loved every version of the 365 Party Girl obviously, but nothing hits like that first True Romance. 🥀



Now that I’ve been thrust back to 2011-2013, let’s also take a brief trip down memory lane and remember why she’s (You’re) The One and The Moment since Day 1…

What a debut album, still.

Photo credit: Paul Kooiker