The album also features notable cultural figures, including legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg, who contributes a spoken outro after a profound personal conversation. “He kind of started talking about that story again and then dropped that crazy phrase of ‘oblivion is freedom,'” Charli xcx recounted. “Hearing him talk about art and how he sees himself as an artist and a director… was all very, very interesting to me.”
For the album’s artwork, Charli brought together John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese. “I have to pinch myself to get a reality check and be like, oh my God, these three people are on my album cover,” Charli xcx shared. “I felt very emotional being in that room with those three people and my best friend shooting the image… Everybody probably has their own sort of trifecta of music, fashion, film. And for me, it’s them.”
Although she initially planned to step away from recording after her previous cycle, immediate creative energy dictated otherwise. “After BRAT I really was like, I’m not gonna make another record for a while,” Charli xcx revealed to Apple Music. “And then, inspiration struck. And I feel that if that happens, you kind of have to chase it and follow it… If inspiration comes along, I’m not gonna deny it.”
