Album Review: Charli xcx - Brat | Redbrick Slider (Music)

Brat is Charli xcx’s eighth studio album and has dominated pop culture since its release, quickly becoming the British artist’s most critically acclaimed album. A far departure from her previous commercial pop album CRASH, the experimental, rave-inspired album Brat demonstrates how authenticity and patience are rewarded in the music industry. Brat has quickly become a cultural phenomenon, followed by three remixes and a deluxe version.

Charli xcx is known for her ‘365 Partygirl’ branding, presenting herself as the messy-yet-effortlessly-cool ‘it’ girl that has since become synonymous with the album. Brat documents Charli xcx’s brutally honest experiences of womanhood: singing about feelings of anxiety, jealousy, grief, the complexities of potential motherhood and intergenerational trauma. Each track serves a purpose in creating the ‘brat’ persona that Charli has embodied during this era.

…the experimental, rave-inspired album Brat demonstrates how authenticity and patience are rewarded in the music industry.

The tracks ‘I might say something stupid’ and ‘I think about it all the time’ stand out for their bluntly honest and humble lyricism that establishes a depth to Brat and gives insight into Charli’s psyche. On ‘I might say something stupid,’ Charli grapples with her place in the music industry. Singing ‘I’m famous but not quite’ and ‘Guess I’m a mess and play the role,’ she speaks on her club-orientated persona and how it may be a caricature projected onto her. Similarly, ‘I think about it all the time’ is another insight into Charli’s insecurities, detailing her confusing thoughts on motherhood and how it would impact her personal life and career. She admits, ‘my career feels so small in the existential scheme of it all,’ a devastating confession that has become paradoxical after Brat’s success.

Charli dedicates ‘So I’ to her late collaborator SOPHIE, a driving force in the ‘hyperpop’ genre alongside Charli xcx and Brat executive producer A.G Cook. SOPHIE produced on many of Charli’s previous projects, like Vroom Vroom EP, and made her own immensely influential music. ‘So I’ is a tribute to SOPHIE and expresses Charli’s regret since her death in 2021. The lyrics ‘(Now I really wish I stayed)’ and ‘(Why did I push you away?)’ create a hauntingly real portrayal of grief and how it plays on Charli’s mind. ‘So I’ is a sonically experimental homage to a friend, artist and trailblazer in the pop scene.

Moving away from the ballads on the album, the opening track ‘360’ is our introduction to Charli xcx as the messy and self-assured party girl figure. Charli aligns herself with current ‘it girls’ like Gabriette and Julia Fox and their influence on pop culture – ‘I’m your favourite reference, baby/ Call me Gabbriette, you’re so inspired’. Later in the album, Charli exemplifies her inspirational creativity, sampling ‘360’ on the final track, ‘365’.

The album is cyclical, reminiscent of the DJ sets from the club/rave scenes that inspired Brat, and perhaps an ode to these spaces Charli appreciates. ‘365’ is uniquely produced. It is one of the more bass-heavy and stranger-sounding tracks on the album. While ‘365’ may not appeal to those who prefer her more commercial pop tracks, it feels quintessentially Charli and takes risks that, to me, are totally successful.

Brat is a fully realised version of Charli’s earlier projects … with a self-assuredness and authenticity that has likely contributed to the album’s overwhelming success.

Brat has become known for its unapologetic club tracks. ‘Von Dutch’ was the lead single, setting the album’s tone with its heavy bassline and confident lyrics, as Charli leans into the persona that represents Brat. It becomes most successful in proximity to other electronic dance tracks like ‘Talk Talk’ and ‘Club Classics’ as Charli sets out to soundtrack her ideal night out. Lyrics like ‘I wanna dance to me’ showcase Charli’s intention to make the music she wants to hear, bringing a fresh sound to club music.

‘Apple’ has become the unexpected hit from Brat. ‘Apple’ finds a middle ground between the heavier bass tracks and sadder ballads in the album. It greatly exemplifies Brat’s ability to be sonically unique and fun in production while lyrically tackling a subject matter as complex as Charli’s experiences with generational trauma within her mixed-race household.

There is a reason that Brat became such a cultural success and gave Charli xcx her most critically acclaimed album yet. Her lyrical honesty and unique production make her stand out from her pop music peers. Brat is a fully realised version of Charli’s earlier projects like Pop 2 and How I’m Feeling Now, with a self-assuredness and authenticity that has likely contributed to the album’s overwhelming success. Charli has been carving out a space for herself in music for over a decade that is completely unique and exciting. Brat is an example of how authenticity and patience are rewarded.