Charli XCX Dances With Digital Butterflies And Robotic Snakes In 'Claws'

With her LP How I'm Feeling Now set to debut on May 15, Charli XCX has been hard at work throughout quarantine. Although it seems she's making time to find the fun in isolation, also, because the vibrant music video for her latest single, "Claws," reveals.


The visuals were directed as a teamwork, in true Charli style, between the pop star and photographer Charlotte Rutherford. In it, Charli bounces and sways before a green screen, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes at the making of the video itself.


Yet soon, the background morphs into a slideshow of virtual, Lisa Frank-esque imagery that swirls by, with Charli front and center. In one scene, a chrome snake slithers from an open mouth; in another, two hands decorated with hot pink, stiletto nails clutch an orange sphere, like a sort of Jeff Koons sculpture for the world wide web age. At one point, she even leaves her residence to go for a scooter ride down an empty street, though digitized butterflies still crowd the air.


The robotic effect of the visuals complements Charli's plastic-pop sound. As metallic blips and snapping samples echo over a synthetic electronic composition, she signs like an adroid with a software malfunction, repeating on the refrain: "I like, I like, I like, I like, I like everything about you."


"Claws" follows the release of "Forever," which dropped earlier this month and will also feature on How I'm Feeling Now. Charli detailed the album in a "self quarantine diary" entry that she shared with fans in March.