Charli XCX Releases Seventh Album Following Brat

Charli XCX released her seventh studio album, "Music, Fashion, Film," on Friday, July 24. The record is her proper follow-up to Brat, the 2024 release that grew into a cultural phenomenon, and it arrived carrying the weight of being one of the most anticipated albums of 2026, according to Billboard. The album is available to stream now.

Early critical reception has been positive. Rolling Stone's review describes the record as a brilliant, catchy and often very funny look at the machinery of fame. That framing suggests the album turns its attention toward celebrity itself -- the attention, expectations and apparatus that surrounded the singer after Brat's run.

Billboard characterized the new project as cinematic, and the title itself -- "Music, Fashion, Film" -- points toward that framing. Rolling Stone cast the release as Charli XCX making the most of the moment Brat created, treating the album as a deliberate next move rather than an attempt to repeat the earlier record's formula. Beyond the reviews published at release, broader commercial performance and chart results were not yet available on day one.

The context

Brat, released in 2024, became more than a well-received pop album -- it dominated pop culture across 2024 and 2025, according to the material accompanying the release. That extended run raised the stakes for whatever came next, and the two-year gap between records meant "Music, Fashion, Film" arrived under close watch from critics and fans alike.

The new album is Charli XCX's seventh studio release. Its cinematic framing signals a shift in direction for the pop star rather than a straight continuation of Brat's sound and aesthetic. How far that shift goes musically is a question the early reviews begin to answer: Rolling Stone's assessment centers on the album's treatment of fame, suggesting the singer has channeled the experience of Brat's cultural takeover into the new record's subject matter.

Why it matters

Follow-ups to defining albums are among the riskiest moments in a pop career: they can extend an artist's cultural run or mark its end. Brat's dominance across 2024 and 2025 made this release a test of whether Charli XCX could sustain that momentum on her own terms. The early verdict from Rolling Stone -- that the record succeeds as a sharp, funny look at fame -- suggests she has chosen reinvention over repetition. For listeners and the wider pop industry, the album's reception will shape how one of the moment's most-watched artists is positioned going forward.

What’s next

The album is streaming now, and first-week commercial numbers and chart placements will follow in the coming days. More reviews are likely as critics work through the record. Not yet announced in the material: any touring plans, singles rollout or promotional schedule tied to the release. How the album performs against Brat's cultural footprint will be the measure to watch over the coming weeks.