"New Shapes" was written by Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek, Noonie Bao, Linus Wiklund and Deaton Chris Anthony, with the latter two also handling the production duties. It marks the second collaborative effort between both XCX and Christine, and XCX and Polachek. The former pairing made the 2019 single "Gone", while the latter created the track "Tears" from the 2017 mixtape Pop 2. Christine and Polachek, meanwhile, had previously worked together on the song "La vita nuova" in 2020. The single was described as '80s-influenced[5] and "synth-heavy", with lyrics "lamenting (...) inability to truly let (...) significant others in, instead pushing them away, rejecting true love and embracing freedom".[6] The track was released on 4 November 2021, with Charli XCX simultaneously announcing the title and cover of her album Crash, as well as the 2022 concert tour.[7][6] The song was also previously teased during a live performance earlier in 2021, alongside another unreleased track.
The music video for the song was directed by Imogene Strauss, Luke Orlando, and Terrence O'Connor, and was released on 12 November 2021.[8] It begins with Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens participating in an imaginary TV Heaven chat show, hosted by Benito Skinner, before teaming up to perform the song on stage. The video parodies sexist, late-night talk show hosts.[9]
Pitchfork's Vrinda Jagota described the song in a positive review as having "towering swells of '80s production", stating that it "combines the euphoria of a Patrick Swayze dance number with the crushing depth of a Fleabag monologue: a celebration of a love too radioactive to last."[5]Clash's Ana Lamond said that the song "takes an alternative route to empowerment, with a laser focused hook [...] seeing the hyper-pop connoisseurs rise above the manipulative relationships they find themselves haunted by."[10]
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