Since the announcement of her Boiler Room Party Girl rave in January which began the rollout of her sixth studio album BRAT, Charli XCX has had a rollercoaster of a year. It is easy to say this is a massive contender for Album of The Year, so how would one celebrate this huge achievement? Why not give a little more to your fans with three more songs? And then why not an entire remixed album and it’s completely different but also still brat? That’s exactly what Charli XCX has done, curating a masterpiece of an album with help from many familiar faces within the hyper-pop, indie and mainstream industry. I am biased towards the original version, but I love this one so much!
With the huge numbers of TikTok videos, dances and memes created by social media users, many would assume this remix album would be a cash grab to keep “brat summer” rolling and have Charli XCX in the spotlight just a bit longer. However, it’s the entire opposite of this thought. The crucial details put into the album are the whole part of it being different but still brat. Even though songs such as “360” with Yung Lean and Robyn and “Girl, So Confusing” with Lorde are both similar to the original versions, Charli stayed true to her experimental vision with the topics, avoiding mainstream pandering, “working it out on the remix” – and it all pays off.
The first hint of a remix album began with “Von Dutch” with Addison Rae and A. G. Cook, and it exceeded my expectations by being better than the original. Addison Rae actually gives such a fun and campy performance that will surely help her find more fans with the release of her latest song, “Diet Pepsi.” Her iconic scream is the perfect amount of absurdity that Charli always strives for.
With “Girl, So Confusing” with Lorde and “Guess” with Billie Eilish being the final singles before the final release, many wondered who else would be featured on the album. Multiple green billboards around the world appeared hinting at the artists included, and fans started to speculate what songs the likes of Bon Iver and Julian Casablancas would be on. To have either of them on the “365” remix would be insane, however, that was never the reality.
For the majority of the album, it embodies a good DJ set to have USB-ready, highlighted at her two Boiler Room sets this year, whilst also using the strengths of each track to bring out playful ways music can be changed and enjoyed together. “Club Classics” with BB Trickz anchored deep basslines with the Spanish rapper’s verse. Shygirl’s version of “365” is two minutes of pure heart-beating rhythms with a diabolical beat change after the sadness of “I think about it all the time” with Bon Iver that showcases the artists’ uncertainty about their future with all the fame and the thoughts of starting a family.
Her selection of guest appearances – both featuring artists and producers – suit each track so well and big-name artists such as Ariana Grande on “Sympathy is a Knife” don’t push Charli XCX away from the spotlight.
Overall, I don’t see this as a “remix” album but rather a response to the success she has achieved this year, or however you want to interpret it. I don’t always love remixes of big songs, but the musical style of BRAT lends well to them. I wasn’t a fan of some remixes like “I Might Say Something Stupid” with The 1975 and Jon Hopkins since I felt like they didn’t bring much new to the table and somehow made it less interesting.
But returning to good songs again, I cannot forget the finale that is the “Guess” remix with Billie Eilish, which might turn out to be the biggest success of the entire “brat” era, excluding “Apple”, which became popular with its dance on TikTok.
I enjoy this version of the album so much; as an epilogue to the brat era, it’s very successful. Charli XCX and a wide range of collaborators have reimagined all 15 of the original album’s songs as well as one of the three bonus tracks making some almost unrecognisable, and even the ones that retain major musical elements have been melodically, lyrically and powerfully restructured. In other words, Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat is a knife.
9/10