Charli XCX's AI Music Secret Revealed

Charli XCX, alongside producers A. G. Cook and Finn Keane, has unveiled the pivotal role of an AI tool named Concatenator in the creation of her new album, "Music, Fashion, Film." Released on July 24, 2026, the album features the track "No One Lasts Forever," which was notably shaped by this innovative "audio mosaicing" plugin.

Concatenator, developed by DataMind Audio, functions by analyzing extensive audio batches and tagging sounds by timbre, pitch, and amplitude. When new audio is introduced, it reconstructs the signal in real-time, assembling micro-fragments from its library that closely match the incoming sound.

A. G. Cook explained how the plugin transformed raw elements from a jam session with Keane into a full drum pattern. He highlighted that many tracks, including "No One Lasts Forever," are heavily audio-based with minimal MIDI, often involving the manipulation of recorded and edited sounds.

Keane elaborated on their experimental approach, noting their pursuit of "ugliest things" which, with Concatenator's aid, ultimately resulted in a compelling drum sound. The entire second half of "No One Lasts Forever" is constructed from fragments of their jam session, showcasing the AI's capability in bringing disparate sonic elements together.