Brat Summer has come and gone, leaving an impression on pop culture that I believe could be here to stay. Whether it’s the chartreuse album cover, or the homage to recession-pop, something about this album manages to resonate with a surprising audience.
The first track, “360,” introduces the album with synth beats and overt confidence. It presents the artist’s friends, models like Gabriette and Julia Fox, and personifies the album as being “it girl”. This album distinguishes itself through references to drug paraphernalia, club lifestyles, and Charlie XCX’s issues with comparisons to other artists. Unapologetically itself, brat features a song dedicated to misunderstood women titled, “mean girls” and reflecting on her family dynamics, called “Apple.” This album defies categorization, exploring a wide range of themes through synths, 808 beats, and autotune.
My favorite songs off of this album are “Von Dutch”, “Club Classics,” and “Guess” from the extended release titled, brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not. A third release has been announced for October, called brat and it’s completely different but also still brat. While I question the longevity of this album, as I believe people may eventually tire of remixes, I would love to see Charli XCX prove me wrong.
One name that has risen to the spotlight has been The Dare, who produced “Guess” off of the extended brat album. I believe he owes much of his recent success with his most recent project, What’s Wrong With New York? to his work on brat. This isn’t to diminish the quality of his album; it’s fantastic. However, its commercial success has been largely attributed to Charli XCX’s promotion. He has been spotted behind the DJ setduring XCX’s set at the Boiler Room, which is a bucket list item for many artists. I would love to see The Dare headline the Boiler Room in the future.
Troye Sivan has been a fixture in traditional media for a long time, but his popularity has recently seen a resurgence. While his previous albums have done fairly well, I haven’t seen this level of success since his 2015 album Blue Neighborhood, which is stylistically different from his current music—take “One of Your Girls” from 2023, for example, compared to “Youth” from 2015. After being featured on the updated version of “TalkTalk” and sharing a tour with Charli XCX called sweat, I believe we’ll be seeing even more success for Troye Sivan in the near future.
Billie Eilish requires no introduction, but her feature on “Guess” with Charli XCX has been an exciting highlight of this album cycle. In this collaboration, her voice strays from the traditional breathy tones she often uses in ballads, adopting a style that borders on spoken word and rap. It’s a surprising twist, but a welcome one.
Addison Rae wasn’t someone I expected to see featured by Charli XCX, and initially I felt her inclusion seemed gimmicky. She was one of the first features on the album with “Von Dutch,” which received mixed opinions. However, I believe having Addison Rae as a featured artist might be one of the smartest moves on the album, embodying the cultural phenomenon of being “brat”—unapologetically yourself. While Rae is often discussed online with varying degrees of popularity, her success beyond her TikTok origins solidifies her place on this album. Rae’s contribution to the A. G. Cook remix of “Von Dutch” completely changes the original song. Rae screams at the final chorus while projecting an image of fame and popularity in her verse repeating the phrase shared in both adaptations of the song “I’m just livin’ that life,” with the implication that the audience should want it too.
Another artist I was excited to see on this album was Lorde on the song “girl, so confusing,” which is about the artists’ tumultuous relationship. While her inclusion may seem unorthodox, Charli XCX and Lorde’s public discussions, including their collaboration on the remix “Working It Out,” have resonated with many, sparking conversations about the competitive nature of female relationships.This theme is explored in a different light in “Sympathy Is a Knife,” which carries a more negative connotation than “Girl, So Confusing.” Lorde’s addition to the song feels authentic to the album’s narrative, balancing vulnerability with an EDM beat in a way that enhances the overall experience.
While most of this album doesn’t focus on the taboo aspects of electronica subculture, it’s crucial to recognize that a significant portion of this album is dedicated to promoting these themes. The references to drug use, particularly in relation to her primarily young audience, merit discussion. Although she isn’t responsible for her audience’s choices, there’s a notable shift towards an indifference or interest in party drugs. The frequency of references to narcotics in these songs paired with exciting beats may appeal to a younger audience, more so than it has in the past. Is this a direct result of brat or a reflection of being young and curious?
Despite these concerns, this album has remained as a staple to my summer playlists. It is incredibly fun, although I am curious about its longevity. I am excited to see what Charli XCX has in store for October and beyond.
