"New Shapes" is a song by British singer

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

, featuring French singer

Christine and the Queens Rahim Claude Redcar (sometimes shortened to Chris or Redcar; born Héloïse Adélaïde Letissier; 1 June 1988) is a French singer and songwriter, best known under the pseudonym of Christine and the Queens. Born and raised in Nantes, he started ...

and American singer

Caroline Polachek Caroline Elizabeth Polachek (born June 20, 1985) is an American singer, producer, and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek cofounded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late- ...

. It was released on 4 November 2021 as the second single from XCX's fifth studio album, '' Crash'' (2022). The song has been described as an '80s-inspired

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

, and

electro-funk Electro (also known as electro-funk, and sometimes referred to as electro-pop)
Gl ...

track.

Background

"New Shapes" was written by Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek,

Noonie Bao Jonnali Mikaela Parmenius (born 9 August 1987), better known by the stage name Noonie Bao, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer. She has written songs for artists such as Don Diablo, Ava Max, Katy Perry, Zara Larsson, Charli XCX, ...

Linus Wiklund Linus Wiklund (born 3 February 1983), also known as Lotus IV, is a Swedish songwriter and music producer. He has written and produced songs for artists such as Avicii, Zedd, Alessia Cara, Future, Ty Dolla Sign, David Guetta, Sasha Sloan, Sam Sm ...

and Deaton Chris Anthony, and the latter two also handled the production duties. It marks the second collaborative effort between both XCX and Christine, and XCX and Polachek. The former pairing made the 2019 single " Gone", while the latter created the track "Tears" from the 2017 mixtape '' Pop 2''. Christine and Polachek, meanwhile, had previously worked together on the song "

La vita nuova ''La Vita Nuova'' (; modern Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin and medieval Italian title ) is a text by Dante Alighieri published in 1294. It is an expression of the medieval genre of courtly love in a prosimetrum style, a ...

" in 2020. The single was described as '80s-influenced and " synth-heavy", with lyrics "lamenting (...) inability to truly let (...) significant others in, instead pushing them away, rejecting true love and embracing freedom". The track was released on 4 November 2021, with Charli XCX simultaneously announcing the title and cover of her album ''Crash'', as well as the 2022 concert tour. The song was also previously teased during a live performance earlier in 2021, alongside another unreleased track.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song was directed by Imogene Strauss, Luke Orlando, and Terrence O'Connor, and was released on 12 November 2021. It begins with Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens participating in an imaginary ''TV Heaven'' chat show, hosted by

Benito Skinner Benito Skinner (born November 3, 1993) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for his online persona Benny Drama, and performs celebrity impressions, skits, and original characters on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. In ...

, before teaming up to perform the song on stage. The video parodies

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

, late-night talk show hosts.

Critical reception

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s Vrinda Jagota described the song in a positive review as having "towering swells of '80s production", stating that it "combines the euphoria of a

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

dance number with the crushing depth of a ''

Fleabag ''Fleabag'' is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The series was produced by Two Brothers Pictures for digi ...

'' monologue: a celebration of a love too radioactive to last." '' Clash'''s Ana Lamond said that the song "takes an

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

route to empowerment, with a laser focused hook ..seeing the

hyper-pop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on pop ...

connoisseurs rise above the manipulative relationships they find themselves haunted by."

Track listing

Digital download and streaming # "New Shapes" – 3:20 Streaming – bonus tracks # "New Shapes" – 3:20 # " Good Ones" – 2:16

Charts

Release history

References

{{Christine and the Queens 2021 songs 2021 singles Atlantic Records singles Charli XCX songs Rahim Redcar songs Caroline Polachek songs Songs written by Charli XCX Songs written by Caroline Polachek Songs written by Noonie Bao Songs written by Linus Wiklund British indie pop songs Electro songs British funk songs Synthwave songs