The Pop Corporation

Charli XCX is making a rock album. She’s been pretty funny about her post-Brat moves, saying that she’s okay with it being a flop etc.

In a Vogue interview – always good for a quote – she declared that “the dance floor is dead”, which of course it isn’t, but toward guitars she goes and less Auto-Tune and “rough” analogue music.

Now, she’s absolutely capable of surprising people but you don’t imagine it’s going to sound like Led Zep or Bad Brains – so what might it sound like?

Let’s guess, based on absolutely zero information.

REPUBLICA

This is our main guess. When Charli did ‘I Love It’  with Icona Pop, it felt like a Noughties version of Republica to us. Shouty, snotty pop-rock.

Listen to Republica and you can imagine Charli thinking it’s a good song, not tied down to the ironic love of it for people who remember it when it first came out.

If we had to put money on it, this is where we’d shove it.

GARBAGE

Garbage were all about maximal production under the guise of grunge. They were almost like the Steely Dan of the post Kurt Cobain world.

So, sampled beats, processed guitars, and a whole load of snarling and righteousness from Shirley Manson, you can fully imagine Charli XCX liking the first two Garbage albums, right?

INDIE SLEAZE

We’ve been wondering out-loud about a comeback for Indie Sleaze for a while now. Skins aesthetic, indie music you can dance to, drunk cigs and MCAT, skinny jeans and wrecked trainers.

Can you imagine XCX bringing that scene back? We can.

KIM GORDON

Kim Gordon left Sonic Youth after Thurston Moore became a regrettable parody of the rock stars their band used to mock – but Kim pushed forward and ended up melding her skuzzy punk with flashes of hip hop and electronic music.

If ‘Brat’ saw the vocals distorted, this rock album might push the distortion further, with Charli going from hyper-pop to hyper-punk?

THE CARDIGANS

After The Cardigans traded their kitschy 60s cuteness for leather trousers and wrap-around shades, they went truly global.

Mixing samplers and slightly fuzzy guitars with a strong pop sensibility, coupled with am apparent detached cool, this could well be on the moodboard for the new Charli album.

PUNK FUNK

Now, we don’t think Charli is turning her back on wanting to make people dance entirely – remember, rock music used to love the dancefloor.

With that in mind, think of all the fun punk-funk and bedsit disco that used to be made. Think about The Slits Marvin Gaye cover (above) and ESG and Adam Ant and all that stuff. Imagine someone doing a 2026 version and confusing all the protestant rock fans into taking back all the unwarranted criticisms they’ve been boring everyone with since Brat.

A COVER OF CELEBRITY SKIN

Live Lounge or during her next tour, we reckon she’ll do a cover of this. Pretty self explanatory really. Glossy punk. It’ll drive boring grunge gatekeepers half mad.

SUN O)))

Fuck it, big swing.