Brat and it's completely different but also still brat - Charli xcx (2024) - 6/10


     I have mixed feelings about this album. Some remixes I dislike, some alter the song so much that they become uncompairable (in both positive and negative ways) and some songs truly feel upgraded. 

     I'm so grateful that we got a project like this, as Charli has often used her platform to uplift many collaborators and some of my favorite songs from her have came from large collaborative projects. With a larger audience since the more radio friendly Crash and the inescapable Brat, Charli managed to get even bigger names that in the past and it felt like pop worlds colliding with her collabs with artists like Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Kesha, etc. 

     Unfortunately I do feel some of these remixes felt rushed and maybe a remix ep of specifically chosen songs would have been better quality, especially since this project came out only a few months after the original, Spring breakers was added a few days later with no promotion and Hello goodbye seemed to be missed out. 

Favourite Songs:

1. Club classics featuring bb trickz

     This song feels like the definition of being "completely different but also still brat". Club classics sonically seems to have more in common with "365" sampling both it's original version and it's remix featuring Shygirl (which in turn is a reworking of "360"). 

     This song isn't telling you that Charli likes club staples with this remix, it is telling listeners that she makes club classics and heavily sampling other songs from brat is what she's using as evidence. 

     Bb Trickz also adds a great fun vibe to the song with her rap verse. You don't need to understand Spanish to understand that this song is for the clubs and if you're not up on your feet, dancing I don't know what'll make you. 

2. So I featuring a. g. cook

     This is such a beautiful song if you were a fan of the Vroom Vroom trio of Charli xcx, A.G.Cook and SOPHIE. 

     This song takes a more "hyper pop" approach and feels more personal towards the late SOPHIE, as it feels more similar to her signature sound (more referencing her work and less copying). The song's lyric changes also more explicitly tells listeners that this is about SOPHIE, her legacy and the memories her close friends/collaborats always have had with her. 

3. Guess featuring billie eilish 

     Welcome back horny club songs. I've missed you so much. 

     I'm so glad the original version of this song got to see the light of day in the deluxe version of brat ("Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not"). This song is unabashedly about having a fun time and looking for someone to spend the night with. The question posed throughout this song;
"You wanna guess the colour of my underwear"
feels like exactly like flirting from someone that's had a couple of drinks and any sense of restraint or careful word usage has just went out the window in the attempts to cut straight to the point of the interaction which is heavily implied to be "do you wanna sleep with me". 

     At first I didn't really vibe with how different Billie Eilish sounds in comparison to Charli as upbeat, sleezy, club music doesn't really fit Billie's discography however as time has passed I've enjoyed her contribution more and more. My interpretation is that she represents the strangers you may find yourself flirting and/or making out with on a night out and although it might be a shock at first, it quickly becomes the highlight of the night out (in my metaphor) and in this song (the literal song itself). 

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