The signature block of lime green and low-resolution Arial font has defined these past few months for many. British artist Charli XCX dominated the charts this summer with the release of her sixth studio album, “BRAT.” Known for her boundary-pushing hyperpop stylings, XCX’s album explores the heavy thumping noises of underground clubs just as much as it does the nuances of vulnerable topics like freedom, grief, jealousy and self-worth.
Released by Atlantic Records on June 7, the album debuted at No. 2 on the official UK album chart, No.3 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S and received an 8.6 out of 10 on Pitchfork. My younger sister had a “BRAT” themed birthday celebration. Apparently, even former President Barack Obama has listened to the album. Included in his annual summer playlist was the final track, “365.”
Here’s my breakdown of the album:
The album begins with the bouncy and bright pop anthem, “360,” which sets a high bar for the rest of the record. The music video is studded with internet it-girls like actresses Julia Fox and Chloë Sevigny. Second is “Club Classic” which, you guessed it, lives up to its title. The song sounds straight out of a dark and loud NYC club packed with partygoers and pays homage to XCX and her friends’ status as urban club icons.
“Sympathy is a Knife” is my favorite track off the entire album. The lyrics are bleak and depressing, but somehow XCX manages to create a track true to her hyperpop roots. Themes of self-doubt, the pressure to succeed under public opinion and feigned sympathy dig into XCX as she tries to discern the authentic from the disingenuous.
“I might say something stupid” is a quiet song that sees Charli questioning her place in the world as seen in lyrics like, “‘Cause I don’t know if I belong here anymore, I.” This melancholy melody is followed by “Talk talk,” a flirty tune directed toward the singer’s fiancé George Daniel, the drummer for the British pop band The 1975.
“Von dutch” follows up with a chorus that toys with its jealous adherents. Lyrics like “It's alright to admit that I’m the fantasy, You’re obsessing, just confess it, put your hands up” address onlookers who can’t help but envy the speaker.
“Everything is romantic” slows down from the artificiality of the modern world to focus on the small things in life that bring joy. In this song, ‘romantic’ takes on a platonic meaning to describe winding roads and white sheets.
“Rewind” finds XCX reminiscing about her life and how her perceptions and anxieties have changed. She used to paint her toes in her bedroom and listen to CDs but now constantly thinks about her body image and the suffocating weight of commercial success. Brimming with 1980’s-esque synth-pop, the song almost feels like a love letter to the naïvety of the early online era when things weren't so complicated.
“So I” is about the late singer and revolutionary producer, SOPHIE. SOPHIE was a transgender woman who worked with a wide range of artists and is viewed as a boundary-changing icon in the LGBTQ+ community. She was a close collaborator and friend of XCX for many years until her death in 2021. The song explores the shame XCX felt about not building her relationship with the producer outside of the studio. “I didn’t feel like I was magical enough for this unbelievably magic person. And that makes me ashamed now I don’t have the opportunity to experience that anymore, because she’s gone,” XCX said in an interview. The song sounds very emotionally charged, with drawn-out melodies and soft vocals that invoke a sad feeling deep in my gut.
On “Girl, so confusing” XCX talks about the complexities of female friendships and existing in the music industry as a female artist. Some speculated that the track was about Kiwi artist Lorde, who later appeared on the remix. On the track “Apple,” XCX discusses the pains of familial relationships. The meaning of the lyrics isn’t hard to discern and the fruit allegory is cleverly constructed. The upbeat bouncy beat coupled with the lyrics which analyze XCX’s relationship growing up with her Indian and English parents.
For me, “B2b” is nothing to yell about. It feels like a step up from your basic pop song and nothing more. “Mean girls” has an unexpected piano interlude that sounds like an ice cream truck or sitcom theme song. However, “I think about it all the time” strikes a different chord. It is the most stripped-down song on the album. The track is in stark contrast to the heavy autotune and instrumental backing of the other songs. Most of the melody comes from humming and soft vocals. XCX reflects on what it's like to be friends with people who have children and how those relationships fluctuate after the fact. She questions her freedom and if her career is really the most important thing in her future – it’s an existential moment for the singer and feels almost like an intimate notes app entry. “I think about it all the time” is an abrupt but awesome leeway into the closing track,“365,” which sounds like a revamped version of “360”. It plays upon the same themes and sounds and is a fitting way to end the album, kind of like the last song played at a party while people are leaving.
“BRAT” has permeated a barrier that few artists can touch — the album has become a popular aesthetic objective in and of itself. XCX describes the “BRAT” fashion as somewhat trashy: “Just like a pack of cigs and a Bic lighter. And like, a strappy white top with no bra,” she said in an interview with the BBC’s Sidetracked Podcast. I also perceived the messiness to serve as a disruption of the curated and “clean girl aesthetic” that is often seen online.
It is clear that Charli XCX constantly pushes the boundaries of pop music. She doesn't allow formulas and duplicate chords to define the extent of her music. The singer has always been non-conformist – when she was 14, the Essex-born singer would reportedly go to raves to perform music till the early hours of the morning with her parents tagging along, which is almost kind of cool?
Listening to each song together almost feels like XCX is taking all of her insecurities, complex thoughts and vulnerabilities and smashing them into bits. With gossipy lyrics and a sweaty club flair, “BRAT” is one of my top albums of the year. While “BRAT” summer may technically be over, this is definitely an album I will be playing repeatedly for years to come.
