Charli xcx’s ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ is presented as a deliberately stark departure from the exuberance of ‘Brat’, rather than an attempt to repeat its cultural impact. The review finds the album unsettling and bleak, using terse songs, restrained delivery and uneasy production to explore dysphoria, consumerism, intimacy and impermanence.

Most tracks run for under three minutes, with ‘Rock Music’ providing one of the few moments of overt humour before songs such as ‘SS26’, ‘Camera’, ‘Card Declined’ and ‘I’m Afraid’ move into darker territory. The reviewer argues that the record draws more from minimalist indie acts including The xx and Sleaford Mods than hyperpop, culminating in the near-six-minute ‘No One Lasts Forever’, which features a David Cronenberg monologue and, on vinyl, an endless locked groove repeating its central message.