Charli XCX is releasing her third studio album, Charli, this September. While 2017 saw two excellent Charli mixtapes, Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, the new LP will be the proper follow-up to 2014’s Sucker. Charli has been talking some big game, tweeting out glowing self-promotions like, “Omg I just listened to my album in the car and cried. It’s so good. I’m so talented. Even just the tracklist written down is a piece of art.”
Speaking as one of Charli’s devoted Angels, the singles we’ve heard so far, “Blame It On Your Love” and “1999,” haven’t fully supported that claim. But today’s new track is a step in the right direction. “Gone” features Héloïse Adelaide Letissier of Christine And The Queens. It’s slick and explosive, built around a pulsating beat. Charli does what she does best, taking retro aesthetics — ’80s drums, ’90s synths — and blasting them into the future. The two pop icons debuted the song a few months ago at Primavera Sound.
Charli expands on the new song in a tweet: “THIS SONG IS ABOUT FEELING ISOLATED AND ALONE IN CROWDED ROOMS, THE FEELINGS OF ANXIETY AND LEARNING TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH WHO YOU TRULY ARE. ITS ABOUT BREAKING DOWN AND BREAKING FREE.”
The accompanying music video features Chris and Charli bound to opposite ends of a car. Chris sets them free and they unite for an electric performance. Watch and listen below.
Charli is out 9/13 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.
