Charli xcx released her latest single, “Rock Music,” and it’s challenging the expectations of the hyperpop community. The song arrived from a long-awaited break after the 2024 Brat-summer era and her 2026 companion album Wuthering Heights. The song dropped alongside a music video — the first to come from her upcoming eighth album. According to the singer, she is not making a conventional rock album as the song title suggests.
“Rock Music” was released at midnight on May 8, sparking a new sound — just in time for summer. The cover art for the single is reminiscent of her Brat album cover with a plain white background and black title — simplistic but a bold statement, just like the song itself. The track is a fresh sound for Charli while not straying away from her signature brand. “Rock Music” features heavily processed guitars and drums, including light autotune on her vocals, compared to previous work. It’s fun and attracts attention, building up anticipation for what she’s been working on.
In the April 8 British Vogue interview, the singer states, “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.” The one-lined chorus sparked attention leading up to the release. “I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.” Fans assumed the singer was switching genres, and others were confused by “The dance floor is dead,” particularly DJ John Summit, who took to his Instagram story to say, “Maybe your pop music dance floor is dead, but ours isn’t, babe.” This sparked a discussion on social media where people disagreed with Summit, saying that the lyric shouldn’t be taken literally. The lyric calls back to Brat, which was widely loved by ravers, club-goers and dance lovers overall. It signifies burying the era to allow new music to grow.
Charli’s satire mockumentary “The Moment,” which hit theaters in Feb, shows a dramatized version of herself undergoing the industry pressures to upkeep the attention Brat has accumulated and the efforts to extend the excitement. The purpose of the film was to give a proper close to the chapter and create space for new releases, and “Rock Music” is the perfect song to symbolize breaking away from the mold. The track doesn’t conform to what the masses want — sticking to the club-party-girl niche or a heavy rock sound, rather, Charli shows that she can create something new but still be true to its core.
While the film focuses on the stresses of the music industry and staying relevant, “Rock Music” highlights the closeness of her inner circle when she makes music. The first verse opens with “Me and my friends go out / we take pictures and make stuff together / and sometimes we cry,” highlighting the profound versatility of friendships, especially those that collaborate to create art. “We kiss each other, real incestuous vibes / (I knew you’d like that) / Yeah, we’re so inspired.” The lyric unveils a deeper meaning, conveying the close connection between her circle of friends in the industry. For this track, she collaborated with A.G Cook and Finn Keane, who also worked on the Brat album, during their time in Paris. They have a history of working together and understand her artistic vision for the projects she wants to produce. The “incestuous vibes” lyric should not be taken literally, as it refers to the tight-knit nature of her production team.
In the second verse, Charli says, “I’m really banging my head / I’m really hurting my neck / The nerve damage is real / but it’s the only way to feel something / hurt yourself.” In the 2024 Variety interview, the singer mentioned that she suffers from nerve damage from the physicality of her stage performances. The lyric says something deeper — that for her to invoke feelings, she has to cause pain.
While the chorus is a single line, it has a long glitching effect when she sings the word “rock.” This generated mixed reviews on social media, with some fans saying they understand the stylistic choice and others expressing irritation. The glitch, provoking chatter among listeners with polarizing opinions, proves Charli is successfully flipping the form. She knows how to shock the listeners by aiming for a different sound. The outro repeats the line “I’m really banging my head” and ends with the line, “and now we’re making rock.” The lyrics of the song seem literal on first listen, but convey the importance of making art inspired by the people you surround yourself with, not by what the masses expect.
The music video cinematography exudes a grunge ambience — perfectly pairing with the song’s message and giving the words a visual. The music video was directed by Aidan Zamiri, who also directed The Moment. The mostly black-and-white video shows Charli living out a rock fantasy, loaded with rock stereotypes.
The video opens with Charli leaning on a T.V outside a hotel window, smoking a cigarette. Wearing tight low-rise jeans and a bra, she nonchalantly pushes the T.V out the window, smiling at the camera before the first line of the song plays. She then falls onto a man and licks his face during the line “We kiss each other, real incestuous vibes,” then drags him by the feet in the hallway. The next scene shows the star striding through Times Square. When the song hits the glitchy chorus, the video switches to color, showing Charli in dark eye makeup and a fur coat as a crowd moshes and crowd surfs in slow motion.
The next verse switches back to black and white. The singer leans her back against a wall, wearing a halter dress and a slick back pony-tail, smoking next to overly large piles of cigarettes. During the line “I’m really hurting my neck / The nerve damage is real,” the singer is wearing a lace neck brace in the back of a limo. She is then shown singing in a room with her husband, 1975’s George Daniel, playing drums, and Cook and Kean on guitar.
When the chorus plays again, it switches back to color. The drums explode, and Charli lights up multiple cigarettes in her mouth. A montage of moshing, and the instruments quickly play during the glitch. The end of the video returns to no color, freezes on a close-up of her face, then transitions to the crowd ripping through the frame — signifying the breakthrough of her newest era.
Charli has fans anticipating the direction her sound will go in. “Rock Music” draws listeners’ attention. Regardless if they are bothered or obsessed, the single makes people anticipate what’s on the horizon for Charli xcx. While the Brat era is officially buried, “Rock Music” serves as a perfect headstone — proving that Charli is most comfortable making music that allows her fans to feel something, even if it hurts.
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