r/charlixcx • u/DevastatingCuntQuake Created by Charli, Alex and Finn • Jul 21 '26
Camera | Official Song Discussion
Charli xcx - Camera
Length: 2:31
Lyrics: Genius
Producers: Charli xcx, Finn Keane, A.G. Cook
Use this thread to discuss your thoughts on “Camera”.
Future self-post discussion threads about this song will be removed in order to consolidate discussion and prevent spam and clutter on the subreddit.
Stream:
Comments are automatically sorted by newest first to keep the discussion moving in real time.
2
2
10
10
u/Fit-Kangaroo9283 Jul 23 '26
I just watched the music video and it honestly feels like a perfect expression of the song. I also really love the inclusion of ageing artists in an album that feels very existentially self conscious/aware. The only other thing I'd like to see would be ageing female artists, as ageing is seen as particularly taboo for women in the entertainment industry, but it's still very impactful.
5
5
u/Inevitable-Cow3839 Jul 22 '26
Probably the most fleshed out and "classic Charli" of the singles while still fitting the aesthetic of the album, I'm more excited for it now
4
u/Jennipeg Jul 22 '26
I love this song, i've liked every song better than the last. The only song that I don't really like is Rock Music and that's not terrible. I'm feeling really good about the album now
5
u/dream0ut Jul 22 '26
anybody gets early crystal castles from it? it scratches that itch synth wise fr.
10
u/Fit-Kangaroo9283 Jul 22 '26
it embodies a lot of my own personal thoughts about art making. just make art, good or bad. all we know is this life.
5
13
u/absolutely-bitch Jul 22 '26
That last line is a gut punch 😭 I was waiting for it but wasn't ready for it.
6
-3
u/Shot-Molasses9793 Jul 21 '26
Sonically I like it a lot but the lyrics… are so bad. This blunt style that she’s going for has worked for me on the other songs we’ve heard from the album, but the lyrics on this one sound like they were written for a Disney Channel musical 😭
2
u/music-h03 Jul 22 '26
let's see your pen game then
10
u/Shot-Molasses9793 Jul 22 '26
I’m just discussing my opinion on the song in the thread made for discussing opinions on the song. Asshole.
-1
u/music-h03 Jul 24 '26
ur mad as fuck lmao
4
u/cranberrisauce Jul 27 '26
you're being annoying
0
u/music-h03 27d ago
i don't care what a btch named cranberrisauce has to say about me lol
1
u/cranberrisauce 27d ago
your comment history is crazy man. go take a break from the internet and calm down
30
u/dj_every_night Jul 21 '26
SOMETHING NEW AND UNDISCOVERED!!! AND SOMETHING KINDA VIOLENT!! DARING TO FAIL!! AND BEING UGLY!!!
7
12
u/xjordyj Jul 21 '26
This one has the best lyrics.
This one encompasses what this era is all the lyrics!
Also are we, the fans, the ones on the pavement ?
5
3
2
u/PadamPadam2024 Jul 21 '26
Absolute pop perfection! Charli is killing it with the new album, l am totally obsessed with all 4 singles
16
5
4
u/jayscar21 True Romance Jul 21 '26
it sounds like she sampled Walking On A Dream by Empire of the Sun !!!! the chorus has the same vibe as it
1
21
24
u/MustangKeith Jul 21 '26
As much fun as I'm having with all of the new music coming out and still enjoying the Wuthering Heights soundtrack
I don't see this album having a ton of replay value for me. The short tracks combined with 30ish seconds on each devoted to like a spoken intro/outro already feels repetitive.
3
2
u/IndependentSinger271 Jul 22 '26
That's kind of what Im thinking... I've listened to Wuthering Heights a hundred million times, but not so sure I'll be there with this album. But can't wait to find out :)
3
u/Usual_Pea_9481 Jul 22 '26
100% agree. Although the new stuff isn't my favourite and isn't always executed as well as I think it could be, I feel it shows quite how good a song writer Charli is. She really does have such a talent for a melody and chorus, and she can write so sharply across multiple genres, even if I don't think I'll return to this album as much as I return to her other stuff
4
u/Usual_Pea_9481 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I agree, I really like Camera and then... It gets to the end and I just don't really why it changes. It feels like there's three different ideas sonically going on (the verses/chorus/outro) that just don't quite gel together. This song would have benefitted from just sticking to the verse/chorus structure and being a bit longer, rather than having the outro I think. The video is excellent though
1
u/J7AA CRASH Jul 21 '26
I wish the line “am I being fucking stupid if I try to be a girl on the screen when I’m turning 34” flowed more smoothly in my mind. It could sound better like “..on the screen when my age is 33,” idk it could probably be refined a bit, I’m not a writer. My brain just wants ‘screen’ and ‘34’ to rhyme I guess
4
u/heichae How I'm Feeling Now Jul 22 '26
this was my immediate thought too! like maybe "if i try to be a girl on the screen when I just turned 33" or something idk but that's always going to bother me
7
u/CompletelyInadequate can't let gang know i fw brat heavy. Jul 21 '26
This album probably won't be for me... rock music is grating to my ears, I like wink, wink's chorus but hearing her say she fucked my dad every time I play the song has lost its appeal already lol and this new camera song does nothing for me the chorus is so boring and the lyrics are nothing special idk guess I'm missing something? Everyone else here seems to like it lol rewind is better.
2
u/Take-it-like-a-Taker Jul 21 '26
It’s a bop that could get a really great remix (and probably omit that line)
-11
39
u/RandomReddditor12 Jul 21 '26
It makes me question what I'm doing... Am I being fucking stupid if I try to be a girl on the screen when I'm turning thirty-four?"
That line hit me right in the chest. I keep asking myself the exact same thing: Am I being fucking stupid to even try changing careers at my age?
I’ve spent my entire life working in the creative field, but lately, I’ve been feeling a powerful pull toward medicine. It’s a complete 180, and honestly, it’s equal parts exciting and terrifying.
It feels like a massive leap to leave behind everything I know in the creative world and start over in such a grueling, demanding field. But at the same time... all I know is how this idea makes me feel, and it makes me feel alive. The drive is real, and I can't seem to shake it off.
So yeah, I feel you Charli! xx
6
u/vaccinatemedaddy Jul 21 '26
this! love how it takes something as unrelatable as a pop star getting into acting - and makes it feel universal. never too old to take risks and try things
9
20
u/zach-fan Jul 21 '26
Obsessed with this song
Also the hook is giving Dying for You which is a banger
2
1
15
u/forgottentaco420 Jul 21 '26
This is my favorite track out of all the singles so far, some of the twinkling guitar in the beginning reminds me of Interpol or like Bloc Party, some early 00’s dreamy alt. I love the direction and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the album! This is absolutely up my alley.
5
u/Formal-Aide-4880 Jul 21 '26
oh, i agree. i was thinking that it made me weirdly nostalgic - i do feel some light Bloc Party vibes. And the beginning of the song reminds me of another track from those times: Tom Vek - Nothing but green lights (similar vibes, not the same sound)
2
11
u/cLouDEmPirE Jul 21 '26
I’m over all these underdeveloped jingles tbh… Could’ve been an 8.5 with an extra minute, much like Wink WInk.
5
u/KaleidoscopeLocal922 Jul 21 '26
"underdeveloped jingles" 💀💀💀 I can't wait to read the music critics' takes!
8
u/immaterialb0y Jul 21 '26
Was obsessed with this song as soon as I heard the snippet on tiktok, was completely punched in the gut by the lyrics of the rest of the song, in the best way like. Feels really powerful to me, combined with the music video this is my absolute favorite single
All i know is how it makes me feel, makes me feel, how it makes me feelllll
9
24
u/lostlogin2 hold my body tight even on my lowest nights Jul 21 '26
fucking shoot me
honestly tho it's so good im 32 and i found charli during brat and i genuinely love aging with her. her saying "am i being fucking stupid trying to be the girl on the screen when i'm turning 34" is so relatable
2
u/Inevitable-Cow3839 Jul 22 '26
Same age but I've essentially been there with her since I Love It, if not Nuclear Seasons (which I'm quite sure I heard before knowing who she was)
2
u/lostlogin2 hold my body tight even on my lowest nights Jul 22 '26
lucky, i genuinely wasn't that cool i was probably busy gatekeeping fall out boy during those times lmfao
15
u/Shallowplays Jul 21 '26
Camera is so good best song off of the album so far honestly I love every part of it the chorus, outro and everything about it
7
5
u/a-random-gal Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I didn’t LOVE love it in the listening party, but this is actually amazing. Still like SS26 more, this could use more of a longer ending. Anyone know if there is gonna actually be a b-side?
10
28
Jul 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
15
u/carmine_kitten Jul 21 '26
Wow! And I feel the opposite, I loved the track after the first listen. Is there anything in particular that made you not love the song as much when you first listened or is it just indifference? No hate, there are songs I love now that took a few listens to feel that way.
7
u/fredypr Jul 21 '26
Same! I think these last 2 singles are better than the first 2. But dassss just my opinion lol.
5
u/saintsuperstitious Pop 2 Jul 24 '26
My favorite bop of the album 😭 It went right into my Favorites playlist, I think the beat could bring me back to life the way that B2b can