Charli XCX has never kept her love of the 80s (and therefore the decade’s influence on her work) a secret. With the sonic landscape of Crash thus far revealed by way of “Good Ones,” and now, “New Shapes,” it’s clear Charli is not only inspired by the 80s, she is the 80s (or at least she’ll have to do as such in this post-TikTok abyss).
To drive home that point, the video is centered around a Johnny Carson-style aesthetic established at the beginning with a TV Heaven logo that leads into “talk show host” Benito Skinner a.k.a. Benny Drama saying, “Thank you so much for joining me, ladies. And thanks for not being bitches.” Cue the requisite canned laughter, after which Benny continues, “Here to perform ‘New Shapes’ for the first time in the world: Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens.” For whatever reason, the latter is featured on a TV monitor on Benny’s desk, instead of also sitting on the couch next to Charli and Caroline, who soon get up to take the stage and sing their number. “Get the leg cam,” Benny insists, as the duo walks away from the couch and toward the performance stage with the camera zoomed in on their “gams.”
All three appear against the bathing yellow lights as the opening notes to the Janet Jackson-inspired track commence. The lights turn off to reveal an ultra-80s backdrop that includes what can best be described as “new shapes” (a couple of which, let’s be honest, look very similar to sperm). Of the sort that Duran Duran would surely approve of, if they didn’t secretly have a say in the set design already.
As each woman dances in choreographed harmony with one another, the camera changes angles to revert to a sort of “ultimate 80s” cinematography that reminds one of precisely the sort of dance programming that was vaguely lampooned in 1985’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun (via “Dance TV” or DTV…itself a sendup of MTV). And yes, that they do. Which is precisely what Charli, Caroline and Christine (the three “Cs,” if you will) make clear while they proceed to go off on their own separate dance tangents. The VHS look (paired with hyper-saturated color) continues to alternate between “regular” shots of the trio explaining to romantic prospects everywhere, “What you want/I ain’t got it.”
The camera then focuses on Christine and the Queens’ own little breakdown, heightened by her MC Hammer pants and tube top as she busts loose in the midst of Charli and Caroline waiting off to the side to show respect for her dance move stylings. The three then rejoin again briefly before the center of attention becomes Caroline sporting a side ponytail and black leotard with a mesh cutout at the chest. She then showcases her highly credible mime skills as she pulls the classic “trapped in a box” maneuver. Charli and Christine flank her at each side to comfort in the best way they know how: by expressing their empathy through movement.
Indeed, sometimes that’s the only way something can be expressed (a phenomenon Britney Spears knows all about, having commented on the fact that a single dance move is more cathartic than actual therapy). The circular stage allows the camera to pan around in such a way as to reveal Benny in the background dancing along, his supportive friendship with Charli shining through any illusion of “acting” the part of talk show host in this scenario.
When the final moment of them “freeze framing” in position concludes the song, it appears as though they might each have danced out all their traumas and insecurities. Of course, having a background worthy of one of those businesses in an early 90s-era mall that would let you record your own music video as you lip synced the lyrics certainly helps with that.
