BY
Alayna Min Tan

Hype Social Media Manager

Hype Issue #59

Published on

September 20, 2024

Picture a sticky lime-flavoured popsicle dripping down your wrist. Brat is the sonic equivalent of that – sweet, sour, and a little bit messy. The album has a refreshing boldness, and an unapologetic edge that will leave you wanting more. Charli released Brat on 7 June this year, easily making it THE soundtrack of the summer.

Charli xcx announcing the release of her album on her Instagram, @charli_xcx.

It would be impossible to categorise this album under a single musical genre – it is jam-packed with innovative twists on pop, experimental sounds, bold beats, and instruments you wouldn’t imagine go together. Brat arguably makes up a genre of its own. 

At first listen, Brat might seem like a collection of club-ready anthems full of danceable beats and infectious energy. But upon taking a close listen to the lyrics of each track, you will realise it is so much more than that. The album takes a deep dive into Charli’s mind, exploring topics like insecurity, jealousy, and grief. Ultimately, it focuses on Charli’s relationships with the women in her life. It is full of relatable experiences that leave listeners excited for what comes next. The juxtaposition of heavy emotions wrapped in playful, high-energy soundscapes is what makes Brat such an outstanding, one-of-a-kind body of work. 

Now, let’s explore a few songs that make up this lime-flavoured melted popsicle of an album, starting with some that will make you want to dance with your friends till the sun comes up.

The Sweet

Von Dutch was the first single of the album which was released early this year. The addictive anthem perfectly captures Charli’s way of combining nostalgic references with contemporary pop. It sets the tone for the album and, in my opinion, entirely encapsulates the word “brat”. The song is eponymously titled after the classic fashion brand which has probably been worn by all your favourite fashion icons from the early 2000s (think Paris Hilton, Kendall Jenner, and Britney Spears). Von Dutch is almost a ‘diss’ track for celebrity culture and how fame can be so glamorous yet so superficial. 

 “It’s okay to just admit that you’re jealous of me

Yeah, I heard you talk about me, that’s the word on the street

You’re obsessing, just confess it, put your hands up

It’s obvious I’m your number one”

Von Dutch gained even more traction with the release of a remix featuring social media sensation, Addison Rae. The TikTok-star-turned-musician, under Charli’s mentorship, brought a new energy to the remix with an iconic scream that made it to the final cut of the song.

Next, we have 360, a more mainstream pop-sounding song on the album that serves to ease one into the club-pop genre. It is the most streamed song on the album with almost 200 million plays on Spotify, and rightly so. The lyrics of 360 make several references to Charli’s friends. To name a few, “I’m everywhere I’m so Julia” is a reference to actor and model, Julia Fox, and “Call me Gabbriette, you’re so inspired” is a reference to model and singer Gabbriette Bechtel. 

If it weren’t iconic enough, the music video of 360 probably features the most number of female icons a music video could possibly feature. With Julia Fox, Rachel Sennott, Salem Mitchell, Alex Consani, Emma Chamberlain, and many more, you can literally feel the It Girl energy  through the screen. Watch it for yourself and you will understand.

Charli xcx – 360 (official video)

While Brat masterfully balances sweetness and depth with tracks like Von Dutch and 360, it also delves into deeper corners of Charli’s mind, revealing the emotional weight behind the glamour.

The Sour

A track that comes to mind when I think of Brat would be Apple. The song features a high-energy, pulsing beat that plays throughout. In an interview with @marg.mp3 on Instagram, Charli shared that she was initially nervous about Apple being sonically different from the rest of the tracks on Brat. However, she then realised that the unexpectedness of the track is what makes it the perfect example of what ‘brat’ is. 

After Brat’s release, the song quickly went viral on TikTok because of creator @kelly.heyer who created a viral dance to accompany the song. Apple continued to flood For You Pages with millions of TikTok users making videos doing the addictive dance, to the even more addictive song. Charli herself posted a video with her close friends Troye Sivan and Terrence O’Conner doing the Apple dance.

Beyond its catchy tune, Apple navigates the theme of intergenerational trauma, and explores Charli’s complicated relationship with her parents. The apple symbolises the traits that she has inherited from her parents and how she wants to escape from it all.

“I guess the apple don’t fall far from the tree

‘Cause I’ve been looking at you so long

Now I only see me

I wanna throw the apple into the sky

Feels like you never understand me

So I just wanna drive”

The infectious beat of the song combined with Charli’s vulnerability has made Apple a massive hit on the album. 

Next, the most poignant track on the album, So I. The standout track is a tribute to Charli’s late friend and mentor, SOPHIE. The pair had worked together on some of Charli’s biggest hits like “Vroom Vroom”, and “Lipgloss”. The song talks about how big of an impact SOPHIE had on the music industry, as well as on Charli’s life.

Charli xcx and SOPHIE performing together at the SoundExchange Showcase in 2016. Photo taken from Getty Images.

“Your sounds, your words live on, endless

When I make songs, I remember

Things you’d suggest, “Make it faster”

Would you like this one? (Maybe just a little bit?)”

The song delves into the complex emotions of grief and guilt, with Charli expressing regrets for not having spent more time with SOPHIE. She touches on how her own fears and insecurities made her push SOPHIE away, a decision she now deeply regrets. 

“Always on my mind (Every day, every night)

Your star burns so bright

 (Why did I push you away?)

I was scared sometimes

You had a power like a lightning strike”

SOPHIE’s legacy in the music industry is undeniable, and many have recognised the fact that she revolutionised the electronic and pop scene, where she has inspired countless artists. Through So I, Charli beautifully honours SOPHIE’s influence, capturing the deep sense of loss while celebrating the mark SOPHIE has left.

Brat masterfully balances sweet and sour, but most importantly, it does not shy away from the gritty realities of womanhood. 

And The Little Bit Messy

If you thought 360 was a big deal, you are going to want to hear about Girl, so confusing. When Brat dropped, fans speculated that the track was about Charli’s friendship with her fellow singer and icon, Lorde. The song focused on how messy and complicated female relationships can be. It points out the competition and tensions that many times go unspoken between friends.

“People say we’re alike

They say we’ve got the same hair

We talk about making music

But I don’t know if it’s honest

Can’t tell if you wanna see me

Falling over and failing

And you can’t tell what you’re feeling

I think I know how you feel”

Despite their very different music styles, Charli and Lorde have been frequently compared to, and mixed up with, each other. Just two weeks following the release of the original track on Brat, Charli released the remix of the song, featuring none other than Lorde herself. Lorde told Billboard that when she first heard the original track, she felt misunderstood and she “really wanted to make it right”. This prompted the two to team up, releasing a remix of the song. Lorde further added that the remix paved a path for her to say things she never did to Charli. 

“I was trapped in the hatred

And your life seemed so awesome

I never thought for a second

My voice was in your head”

Photo of Lorde (on the left) and Charli XCX (on the right) together at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2014. Photo taken from Getty Images.

The remix gave Lorde a platform to speak about her own insecurities and how her struggles with mental health affected her relationships, isolating her from her friends. The rawness and confrontation in the song shows how relationships need communication and how life can’t always be sunshine and rainbows. 

I think about it all the time is another track on the album that unveils a deeper layer of Charli. It reflects the singer’s thoughts and feelings about her future, specifically the prospect of motherhood. Through the lyrics, she shares how she wonders if her career is causing her to miss out in life, and how she sometimes feels like we are all living on a ticking clock. 

​​“And they’re exactly the same, but they’re different now

And I’m so scared I’m missin’ out on something

So, we had a conversation on the way home

Should I stop my birth control?

‘Cause my career feels so small

In the existential scheme of it all”

These “messy” tracks delve into the nuances of relationships, self-reflection, and the constant push-pull between success and personal life. 

More than just an album, Brat is a tapestry of emotion, exploration, and experience. Whether you are  vibing to its powerful beats or reflecting on the deeper layers, Charli XCX has provided the world with an unforgettable journey that will keep you hooked long after the tunes fade away. 

RATING: 10/10 

REPLAY: 360, Sympathy is a knife, Von dutch, Everything is romantic, Girl, so confusing, So I, B2b, 365

It’s OKAY: Club classics, I might say something stupid, Talk talk, Rewind, I think about it all the time

 SKIP: Apple, Mean girls