Charli xcx’s “BRAT,” the singer’s sixth studio album, is somewhat of a manifesto. The album launched a new mainstream aesthetic, describing a modern party girl — messy, but vulnerable, lovable, but confident.
Shortly after its June 7 release, “BRAT” took popular culture by storm. The album and its signature lime green cover were inescapable in the media, inspiring TikTok dances, marketing campaigns and fashion trends in a phenomenon that fans dubbed “BRAT Summer.”
Since June, Charli xcx has put out several additional tracks. Three new songs were released on a deluxe edition of the “BRAT” album, aptly titled “Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not.” Five additional remixes of songs featuring other artists, including Lorde, Billie Eilish and Addison Rae, also dropped periodically as singles.
Most recently, Charli xcx released a full album of “BRAT” remixes on Oct. 11 — more than four months after the initial album captivated the public’s attention. Titled “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat,” the project boasts 11 new tracks, in addition to the five remixes that were previously released.
Though a handful of tracks retain their original backing beats, hooks and melodies, most of the remixes are nearly unrecognizable from their original versions. In this sense, the new album sounds like an alternate reality of “BRAT.”
The project’s greatest strength comes from its wide variety of featured artists, ranging from Charli xcx’s frequent collaborators like A.G. Cook and Troye Sivan to genre-bending partnerships with alt-rock legends Bon Iver and Julian Casablancas.
Each artist brings their own perspectives and styles to their respective tracks. At times, artists fit well into the soundscape of the existing song — for example, Lorde in “Girl, so confusing” and Ariana Grande in “Sympathy is a knife” — resulting in only slight modifications. On others — like “Everything is romantic” with Caroline Polachek or “I might say something stupid” with The 1975 and John Hopkins — the songs’ signature beats are completely overhauled in favor of the softer and mellower sounds of the artists they feature.
Overall, the new album sticks to the same theme of vulnerability as its predecessor. Charli xcx’s 2020 album “how i’m feeling now” similarly featured honest and open lyrics. But in “BRAT” those feelings are developed on top of club and dance beats.
In the remixes, intensity is upped on all fronts. Charli xcx doubles down on wall-of-sound style production on more upbeat songs like “Von dutch” and “365” while stripping back the synths for an intimate feel on more vulnerable tracks like “Everything is romantic” and “I might say something stupid.” The lyrical content also shifts in a more vulnerable direction, with several tracks diving deeply into Charli xcx’s anxieties related to her recent rise to mainstream fame.
But what is most impressive is that the singer was able to create not only a cohesive remix album, but also continue developing a theme and identity throughout multiple projects. Her ability to achieve this effect as a result of the tracklist’s diversity, rather than in spite of it, is a testament to her immense talent and versatility as an artist.
Ultimately, the title of the album says it all: Charli xcx’s new album is entirely different while still remaining true to its roots. “BRAT Summer,” the singer seems to declare, is here to stay.
Campbell Loi, a senior staff writer and copy editor for The Herald, is a junior from Syracuse, NY studying Public Health and International and Public Affairs. Outside of academics, she loves all things music and enjoys performing, arranging, and constantly listening to songs in her free time.
