Charli XCX’s (also known as Charlotte Aitchison) 6th studio album brat shook the music world with its ultra-distinct chartreuse cover and incredibly recognizable sound when it was released in early June. From the first play, XCX fans and unsuspecting listeners alike realized that this record was doing something special, and would soon become the backtrack for summer car rides with bumping speakers, sweaty nights in crowded mosh pits, and intimate bedroom dance parties.
From start to finish, listeners are transported through not only an excellent 40-minute listen, but a neon green fever dream that gives a winding, vivid, sometimes exposing look into XCX’s mind and experiences. Tracks range from tantalizing beats that leave a room wanting more, to visceral ballads that set an ambivalent ambiance, much akin to real life.
But what actually makes brat so poignant? It’s raw, unashamed, and most importantly, honest.
In a world of curating, aestheticizing, and microtrends, it can be hard to find media that feels like it can conceptualize culture in a fully realized way, while also forgetting itself. brat gets it. brat is fully tuned into the pop world, as well as what it means to create without having all the answers. XCX feels the pressure of the world, just like any listener does. The current conflicts raging her life seep into her record, somehow effortlessly mixing with her club sound to make a relatable, energizing listen.
The best representation of this is in XCX’s first track, “360”. An electronic, bouncy, dance-inducing song that starts the listening experience off strong. It also has openly emotional lyrics regarding her time in the music industry. Both of these factors give listeners a hint about the record’s intentions. In the song, XCX shares the line, “If you love it, If you hate it, I don’t fucking care what you think.” Which acts as almost a warning to listeners; This isn’t about good or bad, it’s just brat.
Another track, “I think about it all the time,” is sandwiched between two hard-hitting tracks, and acts as a thoughtful interlude. It’s mainly focused on XCX’s mental battle with deciding whether or not she wants to have children, an unexpected turn that ends up being a highlight of the album. In the song she shares the lyric, “… And a baby might be mine, cause maybe one day I might, if I don’t run out of time, would it give my life a new purpose? I think about it all the time.”
brat is a conversation with culture, not a submission to it. The pop world gets to have a brat summer, political candidates like Kamala Harris get to be ‘bratified’ and social media can keep “bumping that.” Even so, XCX’s album is not pandering to a commodifiable sound. brat is messy and singular, using creative sounds to express a thoughtful look into XCX’s view of the world.
Although brat summer is over, its ghost will live on through smudged eyeliner, club bathroom mirrors, and an unforgettable 15-song catalog.
