'Brat', by Charli xcx, except it's an album review by Blonde Vibrations

Charli xcx is the princess of delivering feelings of passion and sentiment, deeply coded within beats and rhythms that simply obligates you to dance. From a distance, 'Brat' is an electric, multi-genre influenced pop album that fills every fibre in your body with adrenaline, building an ethos of freedom and enjoyment. Beyond this, the fifteen-track run narrates the relatable journey as a woman in the modern world and the confusion, sometimes even loneliness, that surrounds this.

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Charli has mastered her sound with this project, striking the balance between experimentalism and being just one step ahead of the curve in music creation, and creating classic pop that has global, commercial appeal. It marries the visions of the party girl and her escapades, with the myriad of mixed emotions bubbling underneath the surface. 'Brat' feels like the showcase of just how much Charli has evolved and refined her craft, with an undeniably, effortlessly cool feel to it. At the same time, the album feels like this is exactly a window into how Charli feels about the world around her, and I think it's safe to assume that we all feel the same.

Charli xcx photographed for album promotion.

An album rollout for the ages

Charli xcx and her star-studded cast, behind the scenes of her '360' music video.

Even the album rollout itself had people talking, combining two key players within online culture - TikTok, and internet icons. The release of the music video for '360' enlisted the help of big names like Chloe Sevigny, Emma Chamberlain and Rachel Sennott to find the future 'it girl', with the internet going wild over such a crossover. It has all the excitement you may remember feeling when watching Taylor Swift's 'Bad Blood' video but this one is just... So Julia! Charli's strategic use of social media in promoting 'Brat' has changed the music advertising market

Viewers were treated to an ongoing livestream documenting the creation of the mural known to fans as the 'brat wall'. This advertising method instilled patience within her fanbase as after the original artwork had run its course, fans painstakingly watched the design change to announce not only the deluxe edition of the album (Brat and it's the same but there's three more songs so it's not, which is brilliantly to the point), but yet another occasion, with the letters 'l or de' being presented to announce 'The girl, so confusing version with lorde'. She drip-fed us information and everybody subscribed to it. Even people who hadn't been fans of Charli before were captioning their Instagram stories 'brat summer', and every company you know posted a meme on a neon green background.

Left: The original 'brat wall' Middle: The deluxe album announcement Right: The final iteration of the wall

'One day we might make some music'

Lorder (left) and Charli (right), pictured together in 2014 amidst feud rumours

'The girl, so confusing version with lorde' might be one of the most surprising collaborations of the decade. Lorde's feature squashes all speculation regarding their alleged feud, leaving no stone unturned while setting the record straight themselves. This track recognises rivalry and complications within industry relationships. It bridges the gap between love and hate, acknowledging clouded feelings and mutual insecurity. In recent years, we have seen musicians and fans, alike, fighting for an appreciation of women in the music industry, with critiques of Glastonbury's male-heavy lineup and the BRIT Awards being slammed for having no female artists nominated for 'Best Artist', both in 2023. Lorde and Charli's collaboration shines a light on another angle of the music industry that needs to be improved, the song shares Charli and Lorde being compared for their similar hair, despite having wildly different sonic landscapes. I mean, compare the sound of 'Royals' by Lorde with 'I Love It' by Icona Pop, featuring Charli xcx. You can't tell me that these are sonically comparable, yet this was the peak of the Charli/Lorde mix-up in the music industry.

Artwork for 'The girl, so confusing version with lorde'

A spectrum of feelings are on display in 'Girl, so confusing', and it almost feels like a couple's therapy session, as the two accommodate what the other feels. When they join forces in the chorus, lyrics like 'it's so confusing sometimes to be a girl' unite the two and closes their disconnect. The song ends with the pair understanding the others complex journey within the industry and how that plays into friendships or lack thereof with other artists. Comparison is cast aside in the face of supporting one another, as Lorde says 'Cause I ride for you, Charli' and the song ends with Charli returning the favour by saying 'You know I ride for you, too'. This collaboration publicly heals old wounds and, just like Lorde says, quite literally allows the two to 'work it out on the remix'. We look forward to this friendship reuniting, and hope for even more collaborations in the future - Lorde taking on Charli's iconic autotuned vocals is something that we just have to hear again.

Pockets of vulnerable lyricism

Charli gives us an insight into the world as she sees it, even the more vulnerable moments. 'I think about it all the time' flows like a stream of consciousness, commenting on beginning a journey into motherhood and presents both an appreciation yet apprehension towards expanding families. It delves into one's own direction and what is truly desired in life, with melancholic reflecting on how her choices can affect her life with lyrics like 'Cause my career feels so small / In the existential scheme of it all'. These ideas feel so distant yet right on her doorstep. Its introspective lyricism juxtaposes the almost dismissal of an outside viewpoint seen earlier in the album, claiming 'I don't fucking care what you think' in 360. Yet here, she considers her place in the world in contrast to her friend that did have a baby, acknowledging varying markers of success and meaning in different ways. In a similar sense to Lorde saying in 'Girl, so confusing' that she forgets that 'Inside that icon / There's still a young girl from Essex', Charli's vulnerability in this album, paired with the 'hot brat summer' tracks, reminds us that our favourite artists are still humans with desires and sometimes needing a break from the limelight and on-stage personas.

Buckle up for brat summer

While the album certainly dwells upon a state of ambivalence at times, we also experience the care-free party girl Charli has built her brand around. In 'Mean girls', she depicts the story of an it girl (Charli's Version), complete with a sheer dress, last nights makeup and listening to 'Lana Del Rey in her Airpods', all archetypes seen throughout current online culture. Lyrics like 'It's okay to just admit that you're jealous of me' in 'Von dutch' boasts the idea of self assurance and utilising the attention towards her to amplify her own cult status, much like the branding in the title itself. '365' ties up the album, with motifs looping back to the album's opener, '360'. It completes the party girl journey we visit throughout each track and almost forces us hit replay as she directs us to 'Keep (Bumpin' that)'. Alongside Charli's Boiler Room DJ set and collaborative tour with Troye Sivan (SWEAT tour), her longtime friend and collaborator who also recently took a more dance genre approach to his sound, Charli is transporting her fans to a sweaty, underground club, from the comfort of their own headphones - and we are loving it!

Charli pictured with a vinyl variant of 'brat'

It's no wonder that fans over the globe have deemed the upcoming period 'brat summer', complete with self-made merch, boiler room sets, dedicated tramp stamps and even quizzes to discover which song from of the album best suits your Zodiac sign (FYI - Eliz is apparently 'I Think About It all The Time' and Lilyemma was matched with 'I Might Say Something Stupid'.) Fans have also taken to compiling their own lists, containing their own personal 'ins and outs' of the brat summer. Rolling Stone released an article entitled 'The World Has Finally Caught Up to Charli XCX', which is exactly how watching the world fall in love with the Charli xcx that we have known and loved for over ten years. Charli, you've made it.

Slime green, as abrasive and garish as it is, now represents the chic, iconic era of Charli XCX and her truly earned success with Brat. Let's hope we hear the words 'Album of the Year' very soon.

Words by Eliz and Lilyemma (Blonde Vibrations)