the perfect summer BANGER: Charli xcx’s new album “BRAT”
BY DANIELA MIRELESBeloved British singer Charli XCX has created the anthems for this summer, with vibrant and danceable tracks that are meant to be heard in clubs, Charli has dropped one of the most vibrant and fun albums of the year. With tracks such as “Von Dutch” and “360” the album perfectly encapsulates an electric sonic landscape that embraces her fearless energy with the bold sense of experimentation in this album.
The emotional track “So I” talks about late DJ, SOPHIE who was a close friend of the singer, Charli debuted this song at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards this March. The ballad reflects on the life of the late artist, who also had a creative partnership with Charli. “Always on my mind / Every day, every night / Your star burned so bright/ Why did I push you away/ I was scared sometimes/ You had a power like a lightning strike” are some of the lyrics of the song’s chorus that reflect on XCX’s friendship with SOPHIE, bringing listeners into her personal journey with grief while being the most vulnerable she has ever been in an album.
Charli told NME that the album “It’s kind of bitchy and gossipy and hardcore and very club feeling”, making sure that this album is for people who like to dance and sweat around in raves and in parties. In that same interview, she expressed how this album feels like this is the best music she has ever released and she proved it with tracks such as “Club Classics'' and “B2B”, with these tracks transmitting vibrant energy that are songs that you can rave to. “Sympathy Is A Knife” is a collaboration between EASYFUN and the singer herself. In this song Charli talks about the fear of having feelings she cannot control and the insecurity a certain someone brings to her. “I feel all these feelings I can't control / Oh no, don't know why / All this sympathy is just a knife“ are lyrics that talk about how comparision to other artists brings her to having a lack of self confidence.
This album makes sure that listeners feel like the most hot and confident version of themselves while dancing along to hot tracks that will soon become hits as more people listen to it. This album is proof as to why Charli has become a mainstream artist with her hyperpop music, and why she has had a cult following for many years now. People love to dance and love to feel good about themselves especially in the summer, and this is what this album gives to its listeners. A 41 minute length record full of tracks that are able to get the hottest and best version of yourself.