The English Singer-Songwriter, Charli XCX, is largely attributed for her influence in the hyperpop scene, pioneering a sound many recognize as her own. Growing up in Essex, she began producing music at a young age and promoting it on early social media platforms; once she had started receiving some attention, an event promoter reached out to have her perform at a their raves. Charli was then later able to sign with her fi rst label, Asylum Records, only two years after she collaborated with Icona Pop on the worldwide dominated song, “I Love It.” Although there have been numerous other collaborations, co-writings, materials that she’s been accredited for, she wasn’t widely received outside of her usual listeners.
After a few months of slowly teasing her new album, with the iconic “Brat Wall” in New York being the most notable, “Brat” was finally released June 7. Her sixth studio album falls under the dance-pop, electropop genre, with 15 tracks that touch on various topics within Charli’s life; the album instantly was loved by many, accumulating more than 75 million streams after just a week of its release.
Charli brings something different to this album in comparison to her previous ones; a new layer to the party girl has been added as alot of songs, featuring almost “written-in-a-diary”-like lyrics, divulging these introspective thoughts she’s been grappling with. The album as a whole is so vibrant with the various synth noises and lyrics that really tell it as it is.
“360” is the fi rst track on the album that sets the scene for “Brat,” going global with its success. The infectious chorus dominated the summer of 2024, which is incredibly fi tting since the entire theme of the song is about how iconic she is, constantly repeating the line “I’m everywhere, I’m so Julia.” Though in other songs is where we hear Charli open up about some insecurities she faces, like how she wishes she could rewind time to before she felt like this in “Rewind,” or how she navigates what it’s like to share the limelight with other women in her career in “Sympathy is a knife.”
This album is versatile and visceral: It doesn’t spare you the chance to sit still; rather, it entrances you to bop along until it’s been months and you’re still “in your brat era.” The influence of “Brat” became more than anyone could predict; TikTok was one of the many platforms fans were flocking to, to share their support for the album, creating dances, memes, videos, and other forms of content. This led to “Brat” becoming a success amongst mainstream media and commercially. Many companies took part with the fans of “Brat” by using diff erent references towards the album, and at some point, even Madam Vice President Kamala Harris used the album toward her online presidential campaign marketing.
Comparing “Brat” to her fi ve previous studio albums, you really see the evolution of who Charli is and where she’s come from. A lot of previous singles that mention her entanglements with love usually enforce this idea that historically, Charli tends to run away from love and doesn’t always fi nd herself with the right type of person. A divergence from this is seen with “Talk talk,” a bright, bouncy song about her fiancé, where she recalls a memory from before they were offi cially dating. She sings about not caring what language they’re speaking in, even if she can’t understand it, just as long as they talk to her.
“I might say something stupid,” though being the shortest song on the album, is arguably the most personal; the track is about the battle Charli faces with herself and her career as a musician. She mentions not knowing if she belongs in the space she once felt apart of, a feeling of change from who she used to be and what that means for who she is now. Similarly in the song “I think about it all the time,” she confronts the idea of motherhood and what that would mean for her career moving forward.
Since the release of “Brat,” Charli has dropped an additional three songs on the “deluxe” version, “Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not” and numerous of remixes, with more to come with the announcement of “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” being released Oct. 11. All of the remixes released so far have been extremely popular amongst the masses, the most impactful one though, would have to be “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde.” Originally, the song “Girl, so confusing” features Charli talking about the confusing relationship between her and another women; she recalls being compared to this person but never really understanding why, but regardless of that, still wanting to have some sort of connection. As constant misunderstandings arose, she’s not really sure how the other feels about her. This song already hit close to home for many, especially amongst other women who could relate to the strange dynamics of girlhood, but it only got better when Charli dropped the remix featuring none other than the person who the song was written about. It was on June 21 when the remix with Lorde was dropped, and it took the world by storm. Lorde’s verse responded to Charli, explaining how she was trapped inside her head and at war with herself. She “work(s) it on the remix” with Charli, ending the song, each saying they would ride for each other. Listeners found this moment endearing and it encouraged many to “work it out on the remix” with their estranged friendships.
Charli is now on tour for her album “Brat,” with many excited to get the chance to hear it live. With all the new listeners she accumulated with the album, it’s safe to say many are sticking around to see what else Charli has in store. The album “Brat” is an unfiltered representation of Charli, which is what I think draws so many people to it; There’s no doubt that for years to come, the album will stay an undying part of pop culture
