An album that goes from bratty and brash to personal and vulnerable.
English pop singer-songwriter Charli XCX ‘s sixth album, “Brat,” has us experiencing hedonism one minute and anxiety then next — the euphoria of a late night on the dancefloor, lights flashing, hallucinogenics flowing, dancing while feeling absolute pure bliss and the creeping dysphoria of the stained makeup on your face morning after — as much as it does her in-between rank as pop queen of the underground and occasional mainstream success story.
While we may not have seen a ton from her, success has come to her a handful of times throughout her career. She was a contributor to the blockbuster “Barbie” soundtrack, she was featured on Iggy Azalea’s 2014 hit that ruled the airwaves, “Fancy,” as well as Icona Pop’s 2012 hit “I Love It,” which she also co-wrote. She experienced quite a bit of pop stardom during these years. 2016, when her EP “Vroom Vroom” came out, is when Charli XCX had a realization that pop superstardom may not be for her — she’s always been a bit edgier, too candid. Not one for the A-list crowd. So she began collaborating with the brash, hyperpop PC Music collective, including the late, avante-garde Sophie and A.G. Cook, who executive produced “Brat.”
Her previous albums set a foundation for "Brat." It's full of brash, pompous synth-pop — but she still takes us back to her U.K. rave roots. Her recent single, “360”, is the intersection of both, an ode to the internet’s "outsider It-girls" — a quality reflected in the paparazzi-pop and Y2K bravado of “Von Dutch” and the hyper-referentiality of “Club Classics.” It's in this song that she name drops a cool-girl canon of musicians she’d like to dance to and with: Sophie, A.G. Cook, the DJ Hudson Mohawke and her fiancé George Daniel of English pop-rock band The 1975.”
“Everything is Romantic” opens with a completely different sound. with astounding strings and woodwinds as Charli XCX’s begins to tell us a story. She talk-sings about falling in love just as the song takes a turn into U.K. garage. It’s eccentric, erratic. She creates a lush song that gives off powerful emotions associated with orchestral music.
As we flow through the album, we flow through a different emotion. We go from falling in love, seeking pleasure, maintaining a status, to seeing that behind all that is insecurity. “Rewind” is a club anthem about poor body image, not feeling successful enough, worrying about your position on the music charts. It feels very raw, very real. “Apple”, naturally, considers familial legacy; “Girl, So Confusing,” teases a rivalry with another pop performer. Do spill the tea.
But the real spine chilling songs of “Brat”, are met in the final two tracks. These twos songs are awe-inspiring. You feel Charli spilling her life into these lyrics. The song “I Think About It All the Time,” feels like an ending of an era. The turning down of the lights. It feels like she's saying that the club days are over. That is because...she is considering motherhood.
It brings up a series of questions for her. Questions that many woman can relate to. Will it change her? Not necessarily in a bad way. But maybe it's the purpose she needs in life.
"I think about it all the time/That I might run out of time/But I finally met my baby/And a baby might be mine/'Cause maybe one day I might/If I don't run out of time/Would it make me miss all my freedom?
Like most, there is no easy answer to these questions. They don't just come to you, unfortunately. The same is true for Charli. There is no answer. The final song, “365” brings us full circle, back to the bubbly sound of the opening track,“360" before completely unraveling into something much harder. And then we find her, back on the dancefloor, lights flashing, hallucinogenics flowing, dancing while feeling absolute pure bliss. Drink in hand, swaying in the haze of a smoke machine with not a care in the world. Motherhood not a thought.
