Self-proclaimed party-girl and long-time tastemaker Charli xcx released her critically acclaimed sixth studio album Brat this summer, but aside from the it-girl aesthetics and late-night parties, what does having a 'Brat summer' mean, according to her lyrics?
Charli xcx has long been a tastemaker in both underground and mainstream pop music. With six studio albums under her belt and songwriting credits for a roster of artists including Iggy Azalea, Selena Gomez and Sean Mendes, she knows how to get people on the dancefloor. Although Charli has been a cult favourite for a decade, her sixth studio album Brat, has brought her a new and undeniable level of fame.
The album’s second single ‘360’ epitomised Charli’s Brat era, effortlessly showcasing her ability to have her finger on the pulse of culture, casting a roster of the internet’s hottest it girls as her costars. Julia Fox, Gabriette Bechtel, Emma Chamberlain, Chloe Cherry, Rachel Sennott, Alex Consani and Chloe Sevigny are just some of those who starred alongside her.
The video’s genius lies in Charli’s understanding of her audience and their use of social media; the subliminal message is that if you recognise these ‘it girls’, you’ll love Brat. To quote one Instagram user it was “the Bad Blood video for girls who are chronically online”, referencing a 2014 Taylor Swift music video that also starred an all-star cast.
‘Brat Summer’ is currently at peak cultural saturation. Brat green is the colour of the season, you can’t scroll TikTok without someone doing the super-viral ‘Apple’ dance and Charli has added two more it girls to her roster, a remix of ‘Guess’ featuring Billie Eilish and Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s team changed her X banner to Brat green after Charli endorsed her as a fellow brat in a post.
Brat Summer has officially captured the zeitgeist with its themes of late-night parties followed by early morning rollovers, vaping, smudged eyeliner and lots of luminous green – but if you scratch below the surface, I think Brat has a much deeper message. While the songs are sexy and fun, Charli manages to weave moments of incredible vulnerability into the tracks, demonstrating her skill at creating party-girl music, with depth.
Like everyone else, I’ve had the album on repeat this summer, but there are lessons woven into the fabric of Brat that I think we can use long after summer is over.
1. There is strength in vulnerability.
In the digital age, we are surrounded by forced and curated vulnerability; influencers sharing crying selfies or forcing relatability (while working one of the most unrelatable jobs) both come to mind. Charli knows this, and throughout Brat she expresses authentic vulnerability, assuring us that there is no weakness in showing your hand.
In ‘Sympathy is a knife’ Charli laments at the arrival of a new girl in her friend group, whose accomplishments and very existence have her questioning her self-worth. She sings, “I couldn’t even be her if I tried, I’m opposite I’m on the other side”; a take on female competitiveness that’s rarely expressed in pop music, where seeing other women as competition is the ultimate taboo.
In the past, Charli has expressed her frustration around the unfair expectations placed on women, to blindly love every other woman they meet or else be dubbed a “bad feminist”. In ‘Sympathy is a knife’, Charli rejects this sentiment and acknowledges that self-doubt, paranoia and resentment can be exacerbated by the presence of another woman who embodies all that we don’t. It is a human experience, and ultimately owning and understanding these flaws transforms them into strengths.
2. Confront your insecurities, but take no prisoners.
‘I might say something stupid’ brings us on a journey inside Charli’s psyche and lays bare her true insecurities; going to parties and feeling out of place, shutting down, hiding behind a crazy outfit and drinking too much. Rewind romanticises nostalgia, as Charli laments on a time when she felt less insecure in her looks, artistic achievements and level of success.
It’s hard to imagine a powerhouse like Charli feeling this way when viewing one of her TikToks or music videos–where she appears confident to the point of intimidating but isn’t that the perfect analogy for the digital age? That beneath all the flexing online, resting bitch face selfies and curated realities, we are all lost in the depths of comparison, to others and past versions of ourselves.
Charli takes no prisoners though, despite being her own worst critic. ‘Von dutch’ screams confidence as she opens with the line “It’s okay just to admit that you’re jealous of me”, on the surface, it’s Brat personified; loud, confident and self-assured, but if listened to with Charli’s more vulnerable songs in mind, it’s the ultimate hype song to shake off any lingering insecurities.
3. Ask the hard questions, but don’t rush the answers.
Brat and pregnancy seem like chalk and cheese, yet Charli delicately and effectively interweaves the two on her track ‘I think about it all the time.’ Here, she asks a question I haven’t heard asked before in pop music in such an honest and raw way; when are you ready to have a baby and make all the sacrifices that go along with motherhood?
Charli sings in an almost childlike tone about meeting her friend’s new baby; her friend seemed the same, only now she has access to knowledge and experiences that Charli doesn’t. Seeing your friends become mothers as a childless woman in your thirties can be filled with existential conflict and you are confronted with a massively important decision, do you want to be a mother? Will it be as easy for you as it is for your friends? Questions which are peppered with anxiety, as you know you have limited time to make the final decision.
I respect that Charli does not feel pressured to conclude her thoughts, as she closes the song repeating the title like a mantra, “I think about it all the time”.
4. Female friendship is sacred, but at times incredibly hard.
Charli’s unapologetic analysis of the complexities of female friendships in ‘Girl, so confusing’ is one of her best achievements on the album. The song embodies the feeling of being not quite friends, not quite enemies with another woman. Charli questions whether this ‘friend’ likes her or wants to see her fail, and ultimately forces a friendship to no success.
The song was speculated to be about Lorde, another indie darling who she has constantly been compared to throughout her career. Charli left no room for speculation when she dropped a remix featuring Lorde herself, who sings a verse from her perspective on their strained friendship. She exposes her insecurities and faults, showing us that sometimes to get over awkward social dynamics, you just have to confront the person face to face… or voice note to voice note.
The only song that could be considered a ballad is ‘So I’, an emotional homage to the late and great producer and artist Sophie, who tragically died in 2021. She was a long-time collaborator with Charli, who confronts grief and loss gracefully on the track while acknowledging her faults too.
Again, Charli does not run away from her weaknesses or faults, instead confronting them head-on and allowing us to learn from her mistakes, which in my eyes is true female empowerment.
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