I have a confession to make, I wasn't feeling brat at first, wasn't a big fan of the singles as they released and would later become annoyed at how our friendly neighborhood snow sniffer had this album's aesthetics and language harvested by corporations and political campaigns. However, I did grow to love this album and what it has to say.
I've been a Charli fan for years and seeing her finally getting her flowers while remaining just as (if not even more) experimental as her most cult classic albums, EPs and even leaked projects.
So many people have given their thoughts and feelings on this album over the "brat summer" we had, however one interpretation of this album I'd like to express and discuss is that this is a story about a night out that got way too "real".
I like to exclude "360" and "365" as bookends to the brat story. Starting this album is more party centric songs such as "Club classics" and "Von dutch" with the sprinkling of overthinking and maybe a bit too much self reflection that can occur during a night out. More introspective songs in the early part of this album explores disliking others, wanting to engage with others and how others perceive you. However I believe that "So I" is a turning point (a song dedicated to the late producer and close friend to Charli, SOPHIE). This is the point in which the story of this album stops feeling like a fun night out and starts feeling like having too much going on in your head while the music continues to blast and everyone else continues to enjoy themselves. This is when the ideas of complicated specific relationships with those in the same industry, family and romantic partners are focused on. I feel the penultimate song "I think about it all the time" is where this album becomes it's most emotional as Charli considers her future and how she feels she has to choose between her career and starting a family. The final song "365" then gains new meaning as it implies an answer to that question as the persona of Charli xcx will continue to party, take drugs and remain "brat" (and you can even include the songs on the deluxe as further "proof" to this conclusion as they focus more on being lighthearted and purely party focused - however this review is about the original form of brat).
My interpretation is that being "brat" isn't a good thing in the context of this album. Only being able to live for the escape of the party/rave scene, casual drug use and putting everything else into your work isn't a sustainable long term lifestyle and even if it is working, it's not going to make you happy. The idea of being "brat" is inherently sad and it adds a level of irony to every unrelated brand and masses trying to emulate what they think the album is about without actually listening or understanding the more introspective side.
Favorite Songs:
1. Sympathy is a knife
Everyone talks about who their "Girl, so confusing" is, but I wanna know who your "Sympathy is a knife" is. Comparisons to someone you don't aspire to be can leave you feeling trapped in failure and will cause you to be resentful of the person caring the standard you're compared to.
2. B2b
There is a lot of repatition in this song and usually that can make a song feel "lazy" or "underwritten", however I think the repatition of "B2b" just emphasizes a constant cycle that feels more like it's going nowhere and causing a spiral that feels more like going insane than depressed.
3. Apple
Yes, I paid 500 V-Bucks so I could use this song as my lobby music. I don't regret that purchase. Generational trauma never felt so fun to do tiktok dances to. Parental relationships are complex and it's quite refreshing to see a song explore the negative feelings that can still arise from what seems to be a loving relationship, how it's impacted Charli and how it's complicated her own views on becoming a parent herself. As someone that doesn't want children due to generational trauma and fear of becoming like my parents, this song really hit home for me (especially since I took have an overall positive relationship with my parents).
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