Charli XCX has released her announced single with Sam Smith, ‘In the City’. The song unites the two British pop superstars for the first time in a joint song, and does so at the service of a totally disco and nineties beat that incorporates fragments of EDM, techno and piano house… and echoes of ‘We Found Love’ of Rihanna and Calvin Harris?
‘In the City’ celebrates partying and friendship. In Charli’s words, ‘In the City’ is about “finding the people you love and connecting with them through wild nights and partying in magical places.” The theme, too, talks about “feeling accepted, about how wonderful it is to feel welcomed in queer spaces, and about the incredible people you meet in those spaces.”
‘In the City’ is a co-production by Charli to Smith about the “hate-filled comments” Smith had been receiving online, after Smith posted a video of him dancing to the song.
‘In the City’ is Charli’s first single since the artist released ‘Speed Drive’, her song for the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack, at the end of last June. This summer, ‘Speed Drive’ has given Charli unexpected success on the charts: ‘Speed Drive’ has not only reached number 9 in the United Kingdom, but has also managed to sneak into the difficult Billboard Hot 100, at number 73.
‘Crash’, Charli’s last studio album, was one of the best of 2022. Her tour was also not wasted, an “exhibition of hits” in which ‘In the City’ would have a place.
