Whether you’re a diehard Charli xcx fan or a casual radio listener, brat summer was an unavoidable phenomenon. The loud, abrasive, signature green caught the eyes of everyone, from online brands to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Brat has become a turning point in Charli’s career, a key moment in her discography, and a window towards the future of music.
While Brat bumped Charli to the mainstream, she’s no stranger to the spotlight. Charli’s popularity ranges from radio hits like “Boom Clap” and “I Love It,” to niche internet favorites like “Track 10.” What sets Brat aside from the rest of her discography? Brat is the result of 11 years of failure and success, blending the highlights of 7 albums. To uncover the secret behind Brat, we must look at the entirety of Charli xcx’s career.
Early on, Charli followed the classic pop recipe: fun beats with feel-good lyrics. Sucker, her first entry in the charts, was popular with listeners for its catchy, quirky sound; however, it wasn’t distinct from typical retail pop and failed to garner critical acclaim. Charli drastically changed the trajectory of her sound on her next project, Vroom Vroom EP, produced by PC Music’s A.G Cook and SOPHIE. With their influence, Charli utilized harsh experimental elements and the impact was undeniable. Although her commercial success wavered, the weird autotune and unconventional noises pushed the boundaries of pop music.
She pivoted later in Crash, a conceptual album exploring the experience of “selling-out”. While Crash features some of Charli’s most uninspired songwriting, the cold-hearted popstar character appealed to audiences, making it her most profitable album until Brat. Crash and Brat parallel each other, exploring the experience of reckless fun. However, while Crash portrays an emotionless persona seeking shallow pleasures, Brat communicates the importance of celebrating life while balancing one’s melancholic moments. Vulnerability is a theme established in Charli’s 2020 album How I’m Feeling Now, where she authentically expressed her desolation, connecting with many during a time of uncertainty and isolation. The honest transparency was a breath of fresh air and the album quickly became a fan favorite.
On Brat, Charli blends praised elements from previous works to craft one of the albums of the summer. She welcomed A.G Cook, the producer behind Vroom Vroom and Pop 2, as executive producer on Brat, giving it their signature blend of classic pop and avant-garde experimentality. She captures the essence of tried-and-true radio hits, as heard on Sucker, with fun, feel-good club bangers like “Von Dutch” and “Club Classics” and mixes it with the raw honesty of How I’m Feeling Now on tracks “I might say something stupid” and “So I,” a tribute to the late SOPHIE, her longtime friend and collaborator. With the help of her past influences, mistakes, and successes, Charli uses her history to build a beautiful, unforgettable album.
If you love it, if you hate it, Charli doesn’t care what you think– and that’s the beauty of Brat. By freeing herself from external expectations, Charli xcx has managed to make a truly authentic album garnering continuous success, both commercially and critically. I believe Brat is a showcase of her best moments, entertaining and expertly produced, challenging the boundaries of pop, blending catchy hooks and profound depth. As time goes on, Brat will prove to be more than a summer fling; it’s a bold statement celebrating life’s complexities and a pivotal moment in both Charli’s career and the evolution of pop.