For those who already understood Charli XCX’s appeal, the impact of Brat still came as a surprise. While her previous album, Crash, leaned into mainstream pop—earning her top-ten placements in multiple countries—Charli herself admitted it contained songs she wouldn’t personally revisit. Determined to make her next record the complete opposite, she not only succeeded but, ironically, found herself shaping the mainstream rather than rejecting it.
Before revealing the album’s title, Charli described it as aggressive and confrontational—a promise delivered in full. The production is bold, brash, and, true to its name, bratty. Opener 360 kicks things off with classic Charli energy: bouncy, playful, and effortlessly cool. Club Classics plunges listeners straight into a strobe-lit dance floor, evoking the underground raves where she first made her mark as a teenager.
At its core, Brat is a masterclass in club-pop, but Charli balances the euphoria with moments of introspection. Apple explores her complicated relationship with her parents, laced with the fear of inheriting traits she’d rather leave behind. So I serves as a tribute to the late SOPHIE, a frequent collaborator and visionary who helped shape Charli’s sonic identity—so much so that Charli once felt intimidated by her. Elsewhere, Rewind finds her questioning her success, longing for a simpler time and wondering if she even deserves the commercial recognition she’s earned.
It’s this seamless weaving of highs and lows that makes Brat such an electrifying ride. The standard edition closes with 365, a track that feels like the euphoric peak of a night out—just as the party seems to end, the rush kicks in again. Then come the deluxe tracks, a chaotic, extended afterparty leading into Brat and It’s Completely Different but Still Brat, a remix album that soundtracks the inevitable 7 AM comedown, complete with birds chirping and the creeping dread of the morning after.
Summer 2024 may have belonged to Brat, but this album isn’t going anywhere. By the time 2025 arrives, it will still be defining the sound of the moment.
