If you’ve been paying any attention to pop culture for the past twelve years, Charli XCX will be no stranger to you. Dating back to the early 2010s, Charli has released a plethora of dance-pop hits, such as “Boom Clap,” “Vroom Vroom” and “Speed Drive” on top of chart-topping features like “I Love It” by Icona Pop and “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea. Throughout this calendar year, the singles leading up to the album release took over the internet, leaving fans clamoring for more. What felt like an unnecessarily long wait ended up only being two years, and once “Brat” finally arrived, it stamped itself as the pop record of the year so far.
Album opener “360” emphatically sets the tone. Buoyant and addictive synths permeate every song, but the way they are utilized in this track forces the listener to throw it back no matter the setting. “360” also provides Charli XCX stans and casuals alike with the catchphrase of the summer, “I’m so Julia.” For those feeling utterly lost in finding a meaning behind this, don’t worry: Julia Fox has got you covered.
Unabashed confidence is a central theme throughout “Brat,” but “360” establishes that theme with the hardest punch. “When you’re in the party b-b-bumpin’ that beat / 666 with the princess streak / I’m everywhere, I’m so Julia / Ah-ah, ah” and “That city sewer slut’s the vibe / Internationally recognized / I set the tone, it’s my design / And it’s stuck in your mind / Legacy is undebated” are key examples of Charli’s assertive yet self-aware confidence that sets her apart from her peers.
The following track “Club classics” is the first track where we see the dynamic pair of Charli and her fiance George Daniel (also the drummer for rock band The 1975). The production is once again phenomenal here, as jaunty drum beats and droning synths accompany Charli’s club proclamations effortlessly. Paying homage to various producers while simultaneously hyping herself up, “Club classics” is Charli at her most authentic.
Next up is “Sympathy is a knife,” the best of the first three tracks, setting a ridiculously high bar for the rest of the album to live up to. Pulsating synths and clapping drum beats guide Charli at her most vulnerable as she sings about apparent insecurities around another woman. Lyrics like “I don’t wanna share the space / I don’t wanna force a smile / This one girl taps my insecurities / Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling” and “Volatile at war with my dialogue / I’d say that there was a God if they could stop this / Wild voice tearing me apart / I’m so apprehensive now” highlight her striking songwriting prowess.
Something Charli XCX does remarkably well is make space for introspective ballads. While a lot of dance-pop records swing and miss at including these types of tracks, Charli does so seamlessly. Songs like “I might say something stupid” and “So I” dial back the aggressive production and give ample room for Charli to wear her heart on her sleeve. Throughout “Brat,” Charli mixes up her production, all while juggling central lyrical themes of being both the confident and insecure party-girl.
“Brat,” unlike most of my personal favorite albums, provided listeners with a wealth of remixes and bonus tracks. Just three days after the initial release date, Charli released a deluxe version, titled “Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not.” Before “Brat” was even released, two of the singles were given at least one remix (one being a “Von Dutch” remix with TikTok star-turned-hopeful-pop star Addison Rae). And most recently, the best thing came out of “Brat”: “The girl, so confusing version with lorde.”
Over the years, there have been speculations of bad blood between Lorde and Charli, and upon the release of the original version of this song, fans concluded that Charli was singing about a fellow female pop star (many assumed Lorde). However, to announce the song to the public, Charli posted a screenshot of texts between her and Lorde, showing Lorde’s presumed lyrics on the remix. I was not disappointed when listening. This remix is my leading song of the year candidate, as Charli’s lyrics blend perfectly with Lorde’s confessions.
Every line from Lorde’s feature cuts like a knife and should inspire everyone to reconnect with ex-friendships. “Well honestly, I was speechless / When I woke up to your voice note / You told me how you’d been feeling / Let’s work it out on the remix,” starts it off in shocking fashion. And a pre-chorus with the both of them: “People say we’re alike / They say we’ve got the same hair / It’s you and me on the coin / The industry loves to spend / And when we put this to bed / The internet will go crazy / I’m glad I know how you feel / ‘Cause I ride for you Charli” ends the feature on an equally emphatic note. Chills.
Ultimately, Charli XCX’s “Brat” created its own universe with its internet-shattering rollout and wildly relatable music. It’s a moment: an amalgamation of trending pop aesthetics and her own trademark sound. And despite Taylor Swift releasing UK-only versions of her latest album the day Charli’s album was projected to go number one in the UK (petty), “Brat” will go down as one of the greatest moments in the history of pop music. We are all witness to her greatness.
