Add “Witch v Witch” to the great pile of never-released songs from Charli xcx. In a back-and-forth with Grimes over the past 24 hours, the “360” singer vaguely recalled recording the song with Grimes years ago, though neither artist seems to be able to place exactly when, where or how it came together.
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The whole conversation began when a fan posted a purported version of the dark track sourced from a YouTube video of unclear provenance on X on Tuesday (Sept. 1), revealing a spare, jackhammer beat hyperpop dance tune in which the chorus is repeated in a robotic, distorted voice while a voice that sounds a lot like Charli’s sings, “Don’t ever lean on me/ Get closer, you hold me/ Secrets you told me.”
“coming across a random unreleased charli scrap and it being the best song of all time is lowkey way too common god she is such a talent,” wrote the fan who posted the clip.
Charli responded quickly, writing “i could be wrong but i thinkkkkkk this is me and grimes.”
A few hours later, Grimes weighed in, responding, “I very hazily remember writing ‘witch v witch’ but I can’t conjure the session in my mind – but I remember making the art- I remember ‘witch v witch’ haha – I know we did this I just can’t recall where or when. i feel like I did a meh initial production and I feel like someone has taken another pass over the prod and made it better here maybe AG.”
The latter appears to be a reference to British producer and frequent Grimes collaborator A.G. Cook., who executive produced xcx’s 2019 album Charli and also worked on several tracks from her 2020 How I’m Feeling Now LP, as well as 2022’s Crash and her massive 2024 breakthrough, brat.
At press time spokespeople for both artists had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
Once Grimes weighed in, Charli responded, “yessss you’re right. i think ag worked on this at a later point. we worked at your place one night in la quite a long time ago i think. i like it too!”
Grimes teased her sixth studio album, Psy Opera, in April of this year, with no release date announced so far. A collaboration with virtual singer Hatsune Miku called “Miku-Maxxing” was released last month as the lead single from the upcoming EP Beyond Borders Vol. 1: Emerge Mode Miku.
Charli appeared in a series of films this year, including the tour mockumentary The Moment, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, the comedy The Gallerist and the horror remake Faces of Death. She released her eighth studio album, the Cook co-produced Music, Fashion, Film, in July.
