Charli xcx is on a “runway that goes straight to hell” for her new “SS26” song and music video, which arrived Thursday night (May 21).
For the music video — directed by Torso from a concept by Charli — the singer/songwriter walks the Paris runways in a series of high-fashion looks as she sings lyrics about both style and substance. “Spring Summer ’26/ When the world is gonna end, no hope for any of it/ Yeah, we’re walking on a runway that goes straight to hell/ Nothing’s gonna save us, not music, fashion, or film.”
In the second verse, Charli has some fun with the cancel-culture news cycle, singing, “I was hacked, it got taken out of context, obviously/ But I didn’t do it, even if I did, wrote a really good notes app apology.”
Watch the music video below:
“SS26” arrives two weeks after the release of “Rock Music,” the first taste of Charli’s seventh studio album, which doesn’t yet have a title or release date. Following her buzzy comeback with 2024’s Brat album, Charli announced her intent to pivot away from the dance genre on “Rock Music,” singing: “I think the dance floor is dead/ So now we’re making rock music.” This seemed to catch the attention of Madonna, whose own dance album Confessions II arrives on July 3. The Queen of Pop declared in an Instagram post this week: “If your Dance floor feels dead, maybe you’re playing the wrong music.”
“Rock Music” and “SS26” will both be included on Charli’s yet-untitled next album.
