Creating a world of neon green bliss, Charli XCX’s BRAT has taken the world by storm. Whether it’s the instantly iconic album cover (an abrasive green background with slightly pixelated black letters spelling the album title), or the club-driven anthems, BRAT has seemed to unlock a new cultural phenomena that will mark the summer of 2024. Yet, within all the madness of the “BRAT summer” movement lies what may be the quintessential Charli XCX album, putting everything she is and has to offer into this body of work. On the empowering opening track, “360”, Charli sets the tone with a perfectly confident anthem. Calling upon her own influence, with a nod to Julia Fox in the chorus (“I’m everywhere I’m so Julia”), the track captures the perfect introduction into the world of BRAT. The following track, “Club classics”, a euphoric club track with entrancing production serves as what is sure to become a club classic as Charli sings “When I get to the club I wanna hear those club classics”.
Moments on the album like “Sympathy is a knife” and “Girl, so confusing” display Charli’s strains with the music industry and her peers within it, spawning online debate towards the unnamed individuals mentioned on the tracks (the later of which, to the excitement of fans, received a remix with Lorde, the rumored inspiration of the very track). Alongside this, “Talk talk”, “Von dutch”, “Everything is romantic”, and “B2b” are club-ready tracks sure to take listeners to another world. Through it all, BRAT showcases raw and honest expressions from Charli XCX on a variety of different sounds. Looking at tracks like “I might say something stupid” and “I think about it all the time” show Charli’s vulnerability on softer production, while “Apple” tackles her complex relationship with her parents over a boppy dance-pop beat. Rounding out the album on “365” calls back to the production on “360”, before fusing elements of hyper-pop, rave, and dance to remind everyone that the party-cycle of BRAT is never-ending.
What might be the shining characteristic of BRAT is the beauty of each contradiction coexisting with one another. A moment of blaring confidence can immediately be followed by a wave of self-consciousness. Success could be right in front of you, but maybe it’s not enough. Maybe you want to go back to the past, but everything in your present, for all it is, is full of love. Yet, maybe you do love where you’re at in life, but are you running out of time? On BRAT, Charli XCX fearlessly provides a space for all of these feelings to ring true together all over a variety of experimental tracks. Giving listeners the ability to go to a cathartic world at their fingertips, Charli has given the world the permission to find their inner brat. So, let the BRAT summer begin.
- Logan Bandi
