"New Shapes" is a song by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, featuring French singer Christine and the Queens and American singer Caroline Polachek. It was released on 4 November 2021 as the second single from XCX's fifth studio album, ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' (2022). The song has been described as an '80s-inspired

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

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

, and

electro-funk Electro (or electro-funk)Rap meets T ...

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, with the latter two also handling 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 Gone may refer to: Grammar * Gone, the past participle of go (verb) ** Have gone or have been, contrasting verb forms in some contexts Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Gone'', a 2002 a thriller written, directed by and starring Tim Chey ...

", 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'' (; Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin 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 combination of both prose and ve ...

" 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 of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

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 impression, skits, and original characters on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Ear ...

, 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 it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

, late-night talk show hosts.

Critical reception

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''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, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

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. It was originally produced by Two Brothers Pictures for dig ...

'' 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''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

route to empowerment, with a laser focused hook ..seeing the hyper-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 "Good Ones" is a song by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''Crash'' (2022). The song was released on 2 September 2021. It is a synthwave, electropop, dance, and synth-pop song th ...

" – 2:16

Charts

Release history

References

{{Christine and the Queens 2021 songs 2021 singles Atlantic Records singles Charli XCX songs Christine and the Queens 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 Funk songs Synthwave songs