"brat"

Luciana Girolami

The album “brat” was released on June 7, 2024. The album was a metaphor for many problems that the artist, Charlie XCX, has experienced, showcasing the different highs and lows during the artist’s life. With her constant releases, Charlie stayed under the radar with her past albums. But, “brat” took the world by storm. 

  Yet, the music seemed to lose value the moment it went viral. The song, “apple” was about the generational trauma that people experience. “I think the apple's rotten right to the core. From all the things passed down. From all the apples coming before. I split the apple down symmetrical lines. And what I find is kinda scary…” These lines illustrate proof that the song talks about the rottenness that is passed down from person to person, giving the song new meaning with the concept, “hurt people hurt people.” 

Another song on the album is “b2b”, lasting about 3 minutes and 4 seconds long. This repetitive song blasts up beat music. Many of Charlie’s songs are dance pop or electronic pop, but this one is stretched out and feels longer. Therefore, it's advised to listen in a social setting, not by oneself. The song, from a short analysis, is like the push and pull of a relationship with someone continuously leaving, but always going back to their partner.  The music portrays an uncontrollable lust for each other that never stops affecting the lives of both. 

A medium song on the album is “talk talk”. Again, a repetitive song but it's much easier to listen to, sounding like a crush song. While the other songs are break up songs, “talk talk” is a song about someone having a crush. This crush influences the point of view of the person in the song, giving a sense of someone’s need to get a secret out. It gives the sense it’s a tortured love affair that is causing the singer to distrust the one that she likes. 

A great song on the album is “von dutch”. “von dutch” means from anywhere. The song stays true to its name and talks about a large fan base that follows the artist anywhere. The use of “cult classic” makes it seem like she is iconic and no matter where she goes, she’ll always be influential. Her influence on the world has made her memorable. 

Finally, an honorary mention is “spring breakers”. This song is just about someone going crazy and going on a hectic path that fully affects her life. It talks about reckless driving, drunk driving, and other crimes. The last verse before her last chorus section is that of her trail. The trail and use of “alligator tears” makes it seem like she doesn’t really care about the consequences and it's just all for fun. Overall, the album has many thought provoking and fun songs that are a blast to listen to.