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No Boys Allowed: In Charli XCX's Latest Single, It's a 'Girls Night Out'

Charli XCX.
Andrew Thomas Huang
/
Courtesy of the artist
Charli XCX.

Charli XCXmay be busy thinking about boys, but she isn't inviting them to the party. In her new single, "Girls Night Out" – one of several candied releases since her acclaimed Pop 2 dropped – the cheeky British songwriter is layering on cherry lipgloss, screaming aloud to club bangers and feeling on top of the world. "It's a girl's night out," she declares, chanting like a giggly preteen at a slumber party. "No boys, no boys."

The irreverent all-night party anthem has all of Charli XCX's signatures – pounding bass lines, maximalist production and over-the-top femininity. With its mission statement of "perfume, pleasure and platforms," it's easy to imagine it as a kind of theme song for Barbie, playing as she dials her crew on a hot pink flip phone: "We're gonna live it up tonight." It's flirty and fun, perfect for an evening on the town.

Charli's had a busy year. Between touring with Taylor Swift and collaborating with artists like Rita Ora, Cardi B, and Tove Lo, she's managed to release plenty of new singles, like "5 in the Morning" and theSOPHIE-assisted "No Angels." "You're going to be so f****** sick of me," she promises in an Instagram post.

"Girls Night Out" is out now via Atlantic Records.

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