Charli XCX’s smash hit album Brat was everywhere in 2024. Everywhere you looked, people were donning bright green, calling themselves cult classics, and splitting the apple down symmetrical lines- but what was it about Brat that made it such a success? This article will be discussing the original 15 tracks from Brat and my interpretations of them. Remixes will not be included in this review, with one exception.

360

360 is the opening track, and establishes a sleek, confident sound and image. The lyrics are flashy, the music video is full of famous “it girls,” and the beat is minimal, yet incredible addicting.

Club Classics

Club Classics is another fun, upbeat party song. The lyrics talk about wanting to listen to and enjoy the music that Charli deems “club classics”, name dropping several people that are close to Charli, such as producer A.G Cook, the late Hyperpop producer SOPHIE, and George Daniel of the 1975.

Sympathy is a Knife

Sympathy is a Knife still has that heavy club sound but dives into deeper themes lyrically. On this track, Charli expresses some of the common frustrations of women in the music industry- she is compared to her peers constantly, but also expected to get along with them, resulting in feelings of insecurity and other impulsive thoughts. To fully experience this song, though, Charli’s performance of the song on Saturday Night Live is a great watch.

I Might Say Something Stupid

I might say something stupid is a shorter, more somber track. The lyrics are raw and vulnerable, expressing feelings uncertainty about your artistic identity. Charli is “famous, but not quite,” “perfect for the background,” and has “one foot in a normal life.” While this isn’t an interlude, the stark difference in tone sets the mood for the lyrical themes present throughout the rest of the album.

Talk Talk

Inspired by a moment between Charli and George at the 2020 NME Awards, Talk Talk is about wanting to be closer to someone you care about, and, well, wishing they’d talk to you. The beat features sparkly, upbeat synths that match the feeling of the nervous excitement expressed in the lyrics.

Von Dutch

The lyrics of Von Dutch revert back to being simple and fun: Charli is your number one, and it’s so obvious! The music video features Charli being a brat at and airport in Paris, being chased through terminals and scaling airplanes.

Everything is Romantic

Everything is Romantic reads more like poetry than it does song lyrics. Inspired by a trip to Italy, Charli lists details of her surroundings, like “Jesus Christ on a plastic sign” and “neon orange drinks by the beach,” and repeats the line “fall in love again and again.” This repetition encourages romanticism and finding beauty in the world around you.

Rewind

Rewind’s lyrics are a combination of fondly remembering the past and worrying about the chaotic nature of the present, Rewind talks about wanting to revert back to, or rewind, to a simpler time- an incredibly relatable subject for so many people.

So I

So I is a heartfelt exploration of grief. The song is slower but still features electronic elements as Charli reflects on all that SOPHIE gave to both her and the people around her during her short life, citing her single “It’s Okay to Cry” as a reassurance that she can grieve.

Girl, So Confusing (and the remix with Lorde)

Girl, So Confusing is a look into the complicated nature of female friendships, especially between celebrities. Many fans speculated that this song was about Charli’s relationship with Lorde, because for years, people said they were alike and had the same hair. Just when people began to speculate that their friendship was over for good, the version of Girl, So Confusing featuring Lorde proved them wrong.

The remix of this song adds a back-and-forth element to the lyrics, making them feel more like a conversation that ends with a satisfying resolution.  This concept of using a feature to resolve a conflict via a feature has become a part of pop culture vernacular, with fans asking other artists to “work it out of the remix.”

Apple

While this song flooded algorithms everywhere all summer with its catchy chorus and matching choreography, the verses tell a deeper story. The title comes from the expression “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and delves into Charli’s relationship with her parents. Charli wants to grow that apple and keep all the seeds, but the subject of the song doesn’t listen, and it makes her want to drive away from it all, to the airport.

B2B

B2B is less of a song and more of an… experience. It doesn’t offer much lyrically, because its lyrics consist of very few words, and most of the song’s narrative progression comes from its beat.

Mean Girls

Mean Girls is interesting, because while Charli serves as a narrator, this song isn’t exactly about her. Charli is singing about a too-cool-for-you girl who doesn’t care and does whatever she wants, citing Julia Fox as an inspiration.  The beat is varied throughout, going between grating synths and delicate piano.

I Think About It All the Time

I think about it all the time follows Charli going to visit her friend to see her newborn baby and wondering if she wants to settle down one day and start a family of her own. The instrumental is simple, with more emphasis placed on the conversation-style delivery of the lyrics.

365

Upon first glance, 365 may simply seem like an extra chaotic version of the opening track. However, this song is placed immediately after I Think About It All the Time, a song about wanting to settle down one day, and features lines like “no, I really don’t stop” and don’t eat, don’t sleep, just do it on repeat.” Even if Charli has other desires, she has spent years curating this messy, cool party girl image. That’s what’s expected of her, and that’s what she’ll fall back to.

Overall, what makes Brat special is the way it maintains a consistent yet varied tone. The album goes between fun party songs and introspective deep cuts- some with somber music to accompany them, some more upbeat, but all equally vulnerable. And in an era that’s becoming increasingly manufactured, Brat is exactly what the world needed.