Album Review: brat by Charli XCX [5/5]

 By Abrahim Harb

Charli XCX's 9th album, "brat" (or is it BRAT?) is a return to her club classics roots. She took a turn from pop princess back to her origins in underground club music. brat is one of the best albums of the year, it flip flops between braggy and candor so effortlessly. It's vulnerable pop but properly coated with auto-tune and underground club beats. People who don't get Charli XCX will never get her and she is not trying to make you like her. Using auto-tune is part of the genre of music, it's not because of lacking in vocal prowess. We will go on a journey through all three iterations of the album - "brat" which was the first release; "brat and it's the same but there three more songs so it's not" which has three new tracks (Hello Goodbye, Guess, and Spring Breakers); and "brat and it's completely different but also still brat" which features what some would call remixes - but I am calling iterations. 

The second iterations of these songs find themselves with different production styles in addition to new lyrics and others only have added lyrics. Her take on "remix" is very interesting - some sound like they added back lyrics that got cut after the first round of lyrical writing took place. It pulls back the curtain on songwriting (which is very brat). But overall, her approach to confessional music on "brat" pushes the albums to be superb and not cliche - it's energetic and not lethargic. She takes all her insecurities and puts them on display for better or worse and isn't complaining about them. She is acting like a non famous person with vapid complaints that only the 1% have - how brat. The album starts off braggy - takes a dive into raw emotions and triumphantly ends with a return to braggy. "360" is a great way to slowly dive into releasing club classics while remaining in the pop radio sphere. The original iteration is a clever ode to her legacy with lyrics like "I went my own way and I made it. I'm your favorite reference." and "I'm tectonic, moves, I make 'em. Shock you like defibrillators." bring a tongue and cheek seriousness setting the tone. Charli XCX is going to be candid and serious about her feelings but going to shock you by putting club beats over them. In the second iteration, the production is slower than the original. Robyn and Yung Lean don't add anything substantial to the conversation other than perspective on their own musical legacy. The choice for them to bounce back and forth instead of each having their own section in this iteration was a great choice - as was the decision to rewrite the entire track. Both iterations bring a different vibe but remain brat.

Both iterations of "Club classics" are fun and silly in their own way. It's dancing on the edge of the dance floor metaphorically before diving into deeper lyrical content. The banging synths in "Sympathy is a knife" are relentless and provide a deeper dive into the club classics Charli XCX aimed for this album to be. It layers these club synths over lyrics where she obsesses about how insecure this woman makes her feel. She doesn't hate this girl, she dislikes how being around her bubbles up insecurity. She is so unfiltered talking about "this one girl" while the synths bounce back and forth like they are being playing in a small echoing space. Ariana Grande brings a clean vocal to the second iteration and feels like an extension of topics Grande discussed on Eternal Sunshine which she released earlier this year that addresses the ongoings of her life which made tabloids. It feels appropriate to have Ariana and Charli on this track together. 

From there, the album jumps into, "I might say something stupid" a candid and playful track about self-doubt at the party where she is famous enough to be there but not cool enough. The second iteration features The 1975 and Jon Hopkins but it should say Matt Healy featuring Charli XCX and Jon Hopkins. It sounds less like a Charli XCX banger with Healy's breathy and calming vocals featuring a sparse piano and guitar based arrangement. It brings a different depth but both iterations equally strike a different note with tiny moments of EDM injected. Charli XCX is going solo on the original iteration of "Talk Talk" which discusses a secret romance and Troye Sivan adds his sparkle with this sultry nervousness placed over soft house music. This track brings a more mainstream offering of pop and dance music without aggressive synths and auto-tune. The voicemail clips from Dua Lipa in second iteration and the orchestration of house music brings the flair to make this a summer bop. I may or may not be able to confirm this by the amount of times I found myself blasting either iteration of this song with the windows down while driving around this summer. Sadly, Sivan and Lipa's contributions make it triumphant over the original.

"Von Dutch" in either iteration is my least favorite offerings on the album. The second iteration of features Addison Rae and A.G. Cook but doesn't add to the conversation that was already happening other than her two lines at the end. But also, Rae's contribution to this track doesn't need to further the conversation. I prefer the more in your face original version of "Von Dutch" if i was asked to choose; it toggles between pop radio friendly and dubstep as it aggressively taunts the subject of the lyrics with a blaring beat that gives you a headache. "Everything is romantic" sounds different than the rest of brat - for only the first minute that is. It merges this softness of a piano and string instrumentation at the beginning with a bouncy EDM beat later on. The original is euphoric and the second iteration keeps that going while featuring Caroline Polachek's more moodier aesthetic and a softer production that the original. The ethereal nature of Polachek's vocals contrast well with Charli XCX's more brash pop make this collaboration successful with this call and response between the two artists on this track. Polachek twists the original concept for the track giving it more complicated stakes.

"Rewind" has Charli XCX wanting to rewind time to before fame and the insecurities about her talent and body that she did not have at that time. There is a revelation in this song that is addressing the upside and downside of fame at once. Does it matter if she can "eat at the good restaurants" if Charli XCX is always thinking about her weight? But the anxiety is not always there because she only wants to rewind sometimes which is such a universal human thought. On the second iteration, Bladee helps Charli XCX continue the conversation with the use of a softer production. The first version reveals more personal details and the second take is purposely more surface level lyrically. 

Both iterations of "So I" are letters about missing SOPHIE (a friend and fellow musician who tragically died in a sudden accident rcently). The brat iteration is a sad ballad layered with warped pianos and electronic sounds where Charli XCX reflects on their friendship and working relationship with sentiments like "You're a hero and a human. Track was done, I'd make excuses. You would say, "Come on, stay for dinner". I'd say, "No, I'm fine" (Now I really wish I stayed)". We get plainly stated words that are also specific and relatable sentiments in retrospect from Charli XCX on how she loved their friendship and was mesmerized by her artistry which kept her intimidated, resulting in a relationship that was not as close as it could be between them. The production is heavy with artificial sounds that manages to channel Charli XCX's emotions perfectly. This somber perspective is flipped on it's side in the iteration featuring A.G. Cook. In fact. it's a brand new song sonically and lyrically where they both use the opportunity to reflect on the good times that include SOPHIE like that "crazy Uber, straight from a video shoot. Got birthday cake on the way," "the best night ever in Arcosanti," and creating music in 2020 over Zoom during COVID. Both versions really hit listeners in the gut but for different reasons. The first iteration is a melancholy ballad unraveling regrets Charli XCX has about things she didn't do and the second iteration is a mid tempo song that remembers all of the good times they had together. Out of all the second iterations, this one hits differently because we know it's about death and a not a metaphor some artists use. It doesn't feature a guest vocal just her adding more to the conversation surrounding processing the grief of losing someone instead of someone hopping on the second iteration to add their perspective. 

"Girl, so confusing" brings candor layered with a buzzing club beat.  In it's original form, it addresses her relationships with women and addresses the pop princess feminist discourse. The lyrics are about being compared to another woman in the music industry. Although the song doesn't reveal who - Charli XCX eventually told the world who it was about and they hashed things out in real time resulting in the "Girl, so confusing" iteration featuring Lorde. Imagine that, two women, privately hashing out their feelings without drama or tabloid headlines and expressing their feelings using music. The ordering of tracks was such a strong choice - "So I" is positively remembering a woman's legacy while "Girl, so confusing" recounts such human feelings of being compared to others. Emotionally, it's all over the place and messy like real life. "Apple" became a TikTok trend almost immediately in it's original iteration. It's such a light take on confronting the relationship with her mom and it's affect on her life. As she thinks about motherhood, she doesn’t want to pass down the generational trauma with lyrics like "I guess the apple don't fall too far from the tree / I think the apple is rotten to the core" and more hopeful lines like "I want to grow the apple and keep all the seeds". The juxtaposition of the original version being a deep song while also being a TikTok audio makes it very brat. The second iteration has a softer production features The Japanese House and her version of addressing the same conversation with mommy dearest with some added lyrics that didn't make the cut on the original. 

"B2b" is a dubstep track about manipulative and toxic people. Charli XCX proclaiming she doesn't want their friendship back. The topic is cut and dry in the original with lyrics like "I don't wanna fall right back to us. Maybe you should run right back to her".  In the second iteration, the topic has completely shifted with only the chorus making the cut. It's about traveling the world and touring. We see the fourth wall break during the song with Charli XCX nonchalantly asking Tinashe to be a feature on the track in which Tinashe replies with cocky lines that come out of nowhere. "Mean Girls" feels like a continuation of the topic from the original topic of "B2b" and expands from a specific person to address all mean girls. Julian Casablancas brings a male perspective to a song "for all the mean girls" in the second iteration adding his own experiences with a mean girl. This is a fun way to address a serious topic. In "I think about it all the time," she is contemplating what her life will be like moving forward. She is engaged and soon to be married - and is thinking about her transition to motherhood which would be a potential move away from being a singer/ songwriter for a more private life. There is a push and pull between her personal and professional goals on this track and how she wants to shift priorities. The second iteration featuring Bon Iver fuses EDM and folk music. It's much more reflective than the original version. The vocal and production choices are different on both but the topic is discussed at the same level in both iterations with a different tone that the last few songs. The second iteration allows Charli XCX to further play with production choices and small lyrical changes that don't dig deeper into the topic. "brat" in it's original version ends with "365". Both iterations are perfect hedonistic book ends for the album. The second iteration of "365" featuring Shygirl is the superior version when it comes to the synth production choices and makes me want to dance harder than Charli XCX does by herself on the original which is closer to "360" but amped up. 

Don't forget about the additional tracks! "Hello Goodbye" is about self sabotage which this minimal synth beat featuring a clean and less auto-tuned vocal. It is the only song not to get dual iterations. "Spring Breakers" in both iterations don't offer much other than a obnoxious hyperpop song and it's my least favorite of the three bonus tracks. "Guess" took on it's own life going from additional track to standout track in it's second life featuring Billie Eilish - and this should be the definitive version. Eilish does a great job of jumping on to the track where Charli XCX stops. Both artists bring their version of seduction and sleaze in this track as they reveal inner thoughts about their admirer wondering what they "got goin’ on down there". 

Overall, all three versions of the album are unexpected given her previous work. But nonetheless, brat is brat babes. The production is aggressive, loud, but the rawness makes it relatable at the same time. Most would say she uses auto-tune far too often - but this is a signature of her music. Everyone loves signature styles when they are soft and sparkly. Why is that? It feels like a therapy session we're peeking into because it's nosy and vulnerable dance music. Charli XCX is releasing her insecurities into the world in an unashamed way (dare I say it, brat). She is not sugar coating things or painting herself in a good way. Then on the second iterations, we have a variety of artists hopping on to the album, giving them new life by adding their own lyrics and/or musical production style onto the album. Once again, proving how brat the album is - most remixes remove a few bars from the original and have an artist add their flair. 

Check out all things Charli XCX at https://charlixcx.com.