As a pioneer of pink-tinged hyperpop, Charli XCX was a fitting addition to Greta Gerwig’s stacked Barbie soundtrack when the film released last month. ICYMI, her song “Speed Drive” accompanied a high octane chase scene in the IRL Los Angeles beyond the borders of Barbieland, drawing on all the expertise of her Vroom Vroom era. But if that wasn’t already enough, the official video has now dropped, putting Charli back in the driver’s seat.
Co-directed by Charli and Ramez Silyan, the new video for “Speed Drive” sees the musician join Devon Lee Carlson – as in, “Kawaii like we’re in Tokyo / Devon Lee smile, teeth a white row” – in a pink Corvette convertible, drifting through an industrial wasteland under the Californian sun.
In a brief cameo, Sam Smith also appears on Charli’s flip phone, interrupting the shoot to discuss the details of the pair’s upcoming (as-yet-untitled) collaboration. Then it’s back to the action, which – if you’ve been paying any attention to Charli’s recent releases – ends exactly as you’d expect.
Appearing on Barbie the Album alongside original tracks by Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, PinkPantheress, and more, “Speed Drive” has already clocked more than 70 million global streams. It’s not Charli’s first foray into film, either, having written the official song – “Hot Girl” – for A24’s Rachel Sennott-starring Bodies Bodies Bodies.
This year, Charli is set to contribute another pop banger to the soundtrack of lesbian fight club film Bottoms, and will team up with Jack Antonoff for the soundtrack of Mother Mary, an upcoming “pop melodrama” starring Michaela Coel. In front of the camera, meanwhile, she’s set to make her acting debut in cult 70s horror reboot Faces of Death.
In the meantime, you can watch the new video for “Speed Drive” above.