As Charli XCX continues down the path of prolific, her work has shown a remarkable ability to take risks in a short span of time. With her latest single, “Vroom Vroom,” off a new EP of the same name, XCX goes all out with a “Cool Rider”-chic look and backdrop that would make Michelle Pfeiffer proud.
With her third album set to come out later this year, “Vroom Vroom” is a strong indication of the direction she’s headed, which is in that of an even more empowered, confident electropop goddess. Among other costumes in the video, XCX wears a catsuit and a retro Barbie ponytail, and declares, “Let’s ride,” as she dances in front of a Lamborghini and pops bottles, all in glorious black and white film.
Best of all, XCX flips the script on male-oriented “bitches and cars” videos by creating one of her own with a feminist slant. Considering XCX’s recent documentary, The F Word and Me, highlighting sexism in the music industry, it only makes sense that she would make strides of her own toward a more equal visual approach when comparing male and female musicians.
As she dances gleefully and makes the assertion, “All my life, I’ve been waiting for a good time–let me ride, let me ride,” one can’t help but think of Pfeiffer’s Stephanie Zinone making a similar declaration about wanting a cool rider–but in XCX’s case, she is the cool rider, further iterated when the video shifts to color for the final scene.
