brat and it's completely different but also still brat by Charli xcx // remix album review

brat and it's completely different but also still brat totally redefined the concept of a remix album. To top off the massive year Charli xcx had following the release BRAT, she took the concept of that album and every single song and completely transformed it into something brand new. It takes the idea that every song's concept, or even just song title, can have so many different lives that can be (and should be) explored further than just the original version of it. Many of the songs don't even feature a single lyric or melody from the original versions, but still find a way to expand and evolve the meaning behind each. Charli's approach to this project is as artful as it is groundbreaking and its long overdue for her to finally get her flowers. By embracing the reworking of concepts, Charli showcases the dynamic potential that exists within her music.

"I think what's interesting about the remix album... is I was writing the original record when I was in a very different position than I am post the release of BRAT working on the remix album. So my perspective has changed a lot," Charli said in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music. Much of this album was created and conceptualized with her core collaborator and producer, A.G. Cook, while they were still in the process of recording the original versions of the songs. Remarkably, some of these remixes were released even before the full BRAT album came out, making it clear that this project has been intertwined with the original from the very beginning.

The release of BRAT marked a bold new chapter in Charli's career that has been incredible to witness. She has been a pop music innovator from the very start, always so ahead of her time in every regard. It feels like this is now the time everyone is finally catching up to her and recognizing the artistic genius that she is on a mainstream level. Charli is taking such a different approach to this music compared to many of her peers in the space by releasing a record that is this bold, daring, and abrasive...and then doing it all over again just a few months later.

Each song features a different collaborator, some of which are her friends or artists she has been very vocal about being fans of, while others were completely out of left field that made unexpected entries into the brat-verse. "Charli's a proper songwriter as well as a pop star. She has so many songs; it's given her so much ammo over the years," A.G. Cook said in an interview with The Recording Academy. "She also has a lot of goodwill with other artists. You look at the people who were down to collaborate on the remix album or on shows because they see her either as someone who's also a writer or will collaborate with them."

Every single creative choice Charli and her collaborators made in the curation of these collaborations is on another level. Even being able to have two of the biggest artists in the world, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish, together on the same album is insane on its own. Some friends and frequent collaborators like The 1975, Troye Sivan, Caroline Polachek, Addison Rae, and Tinashe make appearances on this album and fit so well into the universe she created within this music. Other collaborations were more unexpected, but made the perfect match. Her songs with Lorde, The Japanese House and Bon Iver are some of my favorite moments of the entire album and I never could have imagined pairing them up together. They ended up really feeling like the heart of this reimagined version of BRAT. Others are lesser known in comparison, but are artists that Charli has been very vocal about supporting for years, like Yung Lean, Bladee, Bb Trickz and Shygirl. It's great to see smaller artists get a spotlight like this on such a massive album, I'm really excited to continue diving into more of their work from this point forward.

Usually a remix of a song will never be better than the original, but this totally takes the concept of a traditional remix and completely elevates the meaning. She expands upon the original album and the concepts of each song and totally reinvents each one. Many often feel like they are written from the perspective of her life post-BRAT too. While it was Charli's intention from the start to create a companion album to BRAT, regardless of if it became the massive success that it went on to be or not, encapsulates the unwavering artistic vision she had for this era. She has always put her artistry above everything else, which really shines through in this work. She doesn't chase the trends or a quick viral moment, she makes the trends that everyone could only ever wish to pull off half as well as she does. It also makes so much sense that she released this album in October 2024, as the heat of BRAT summer was dying down. As the title suggests, it is completely different, but also still very much brat. It's a thoughtful reflection of her life, career, and fame in the aftermath of that meteoric success she experienced with that album. As she prepares to step into a new phase of her life and career, this album is acknowledging that this newfound level of fame is fleeting and won't last forever.

A few remixes dropped in the lead-up to the full album, and they really set the stage for what the BRAT era had in store. First up was the remix of the lead single, "Von dutch" featuring Addison Rae. This version completely reimagines the track with different lyrics and production, leaning heavily into a very bass-heavy and effortlessly cool Y2K aesthetic. It perfectly complements the song's playful commentary on internet culture and TikTok trends. It was so fitting to include Addison on this track, as "Von dutch" largely has an ironic tone that pokes fun at influencers and the phenomenon of being copied. Addison's vocal delivery, paired with the iconic scream, is such a memorable part of the song. It really embodies the spirit of "Von dutch" so well. Addison is truly the future of pop and I can't wait to continue hearing more from her in the future. Her star power is undeniable on this track.

The next remix released ahead of the BRAT was the companion to the iconic opening track, "360", featuring Robyn and Yung Lean. There's truly nothing more iconic than kicking off an album with the bold opening lines, "They-they-they all wanna sound like me, all wanna be like me." It fully embodies the signature bratty confidence of the original while still being fresh and distinct. Though it didn't get the recognition it deserved until the full album of remixes dropped, "360" holds its own as such a strong opening to the album. Robyn, a long-time inspiration for Charli, brings a timeless touch to the production. Yung Lean's verse also adds a captivating edge, complementing the mix of rapping and dynamic instrumentals perfectly. This song also feels so referential to all three of their respective careers and artistic backgrounds, coming together to create something entirely new for them. It's such a smart and layered piece that perfectly sets the tone for the bold, unapologetic energy of this album.

The momentum of BRAT summer and the hype for a full remix album truly peaked following the release of the first two remixes in the weeks after the original album. Each track fully embodies the two very distinct sides of BRAT - one deeply introspective, honest, and unafraid of showing her insecurities, and the other wild, fun, and infectious dance music. Both narratives are distinctly different, yet they equally feel like real, cultural moments for the fans and rooted in a genuine love for the art itself.

Upon it's initial release, one of the tracks getting the most amount of buzz was "Girl, so confusing", a song where Charli bluntly details her trying to make sense of the complexities within female friendships. Charli sings about wanting to be closer friends with this other popstar, although she always gets mixed signals from her and thinks they are too opposite of each other to ever really have a meaningful friendship. Based on the context of the song and some of the details, it was widely assumed at first that this song was about her friendship with Lorde. "People say we're alike, they say we've got the same hair," she sings in the pre-chorus, "One day we might make some music, the internet would go crazy". That may sound like a simple line that doesn't give much away, but the biggest revelations of this album often come in the most subtle lyrics. Although Charli and Lorde are both very different artists, they have often been endlessly compared since the time they started their careers in the mid-2010's. They both have the same big curly hair, had massive breakthroughs in music around the same time, and having similar crossover in their fanbases are just a few of the ways they have been commonly linked to each other for the past ten years or so.

Despite all of the reasons everyone tells them they are alike, they just never really clicked as friends which often leaves Charli with these conflicting feelings. "Yeah, I don't know if you like me, sometimes I think you might hate me, sometimes I think I might hate you," she sings in the first verse. "You always say, 'Let's go out', so we go eat at a restaurant, sometimes it feels a bit awkward, 'cause we don't have much in common". Charli is often left in this limbo of confusion from the mixed signals she was getting and decides to finally address it in a song. In the chorus, Charli repeatedly sings, "It's so confusing sometimes to be a girl" - which is so true and really is the perfect way to put it. I never heard anyone in her position before being this upfront and honest about these feelings and it is so brave to admit them.

Soon after the release of BRAT, it was confirmed by Charli that this song is inspired by her friendship with Lorde. Although she said in an interview with Vogue Australia that she wasn't nervous to put "Girl, so confusing" out, she was "prepared for Lorde to never speak to me again because it's such a heavy thing". The opposite outcome actually ended up happening, with Charli and Lorde "working it out on the remix". The remix is incredible, I don't even have the words to describe the feeling I had the first time I listened to it. I never heard a song quite like this before and honestly feel forever changed by it in a lot of ways. "I knew in my heart of hearts that it was not a diss track, and I knew the feeling I was talking about would be recognized by so many women out there who have this sort of tricky, unspoken conflict with somebody that they actually do really like and respect, but it’s just so hard to quantify," Charli continued in her interview with Vogue Australia. "We don’t have the language for it, and in most cases, if we did vocalize it, we would be shamed or told that we were not a girls' girl, not a feminist, all those things."

It all happened very quickly and organically, with Lorde reaching out the day the album was released and wanting to respond within a remix together. It's very conversational and all unfolded in real-time, which was such a unique approach to the traditional pop music cycle. In an interview with The Recording Academy, producer A.G. Cook said she "...wrote that on the day the album's released, genuinely in real-time. That wasn't a planned thing, it was really Charli texting her, 'By the way, there's no bad feelings, but this song is kind of about us' and Ella's like, 'Well, I could write a verse.' When she sent it over to us, I was also trying to keep that immediate energy, trying to use as many of the first takes as I could. So at the beginning and the end, there's a lot of this kind of capturing lightning in a bottle."

The "Girl, so confusing" remix now tells the other side of the story, with Lorde admitting that she has been fighting her own inner battle and trapped in a cycle of self-hatred. As a result of that, she retreated into herself, but outwardly would end up unintentionally seeming stand-offish to others. A lot of it ended up being just a projection of their own insecurities onto the other, which they both do such a great job at portraying. Lorde sings, "You'd always say, "Let's go out", but then I'd cancel last minute, I was so lost in my head and scared to be in your pictures, 'cause for the last couple years, I've been at war with my body, I tried to starve myself thinner, and then I gained all the weight back".

The best part of Lorde's response to this is that she fully matched Charli's energy in every regard for this remix. That is something that many of her collaborators for the rest of the remix album also excelled in as well. The way Lorde is singing and writing on "Girl, so confusing" is unlike any other song she has ever made and I love that she fully immersed herself into the bratosphere in that way. It is very conversational and honest, as they are literally talking back and forth to each other in the same song. "I never thought for a second my voice was in your head," Lorde continues in the song.

So many lyrics from her verse hit me so hard every time I hear them, but the final few lines especially always give me chills, "And it's just self-defense until you're building a weapon, she believed my projection and now I totally get it, forgot that inside the icon, there's still a young girl from Essex". That final line best sums up what BRAT is at it's core and it just evokes so much raw emotion. As a woman, no matter how old we are or how confident we may appear outwardly, that little girl we once were is always a part of us and Lorde described that so poignantly. I just love Lorde so much, she is truly the most incredible lyricist and always is able to make sense out of these hard to describe feelings in a way like no other.

"I'm not saying I'm the first to do anything," Charli told Vogue Australia, "but as far as I'm aware, I'm not super familiar with any other songs that address female relationships with two artists talking about each other on the same record. It felt like a real moment that I'm so proud and happy I got to do with her." Although "Girl, so confusing" is about the back and forth of two popstars, these feelings and messy friendship dynamics are so universal. Everyone has had a Lorde to their Charli or a Charli to their Lorde, if that makes sense. I know I can definitely see myself in both of them in this situation.

"People say we're alike, they say we've got the same hair, it's you and me on the coin the industry loves to spend, and when we put this to bed the internet will go crazy," they sing together. Lorde finishes the line, "I'm glad I know how you feel, 'cause I ride for you, Charli". They are two of the greatest artists of this generation and seeing them come together like this has been something so incredibly special to witness. It is just so powerful and inspiring in every way to hear this. I cried the first time I listened to it, especially at the end when they are singing together - I get chills just thinking about it! People just don't make songs like this and I found the journey from beginning to end so moving - from hearing the original version and seeing this online conversation surrounding it, to it all leading up to the remix featuring Lorde herself. It's just magic and what BRAT is all about to me.

The next remix that followed went on to become the biggest hit of the record, "Guess" featuring Billie Eilish. The solo version was first released as a part of the expanded brat and its the same but there's three more songs so its not - with that title, she's nothing if not direct! Charli worked on it with rising New York-based producer The Dare. It very much fits into the universe of both BRAT and The Dare's solo music too, with it being very wild and explicit party music. I have loved the music they've made together and would love to see them continue to collaborate on whatever the next chapter brings for Charli musically. She sings, "You wanna guess the color of my underwear, really wanna know what I got goin on down there". It's very playful lyrically and seamlessly blends both of the distinct New York and London club cultures into one.

Finneas was approached by one of Charli's collaborators backstage at her show asking if he and Billie would want to work together one day. Within a few days, Billie and Finneas recorded the track, sent it back, and two days later she recorded the music video with Charli. Within a week, the song was released, and the rest is history! "It was the craziest, fastest - like, that is the dream." Billie said in an interview with Vanity Fair.

"Guess" is so different than anything Billie has ever made and somehow it suits her so perfectly. It is also so rare for her to collaborate with other artists and producers, so this was so cool to see her and Finneas experiment a bit on this track. Billie is so brat and I was very happy to see her be a part of this record too, every song she is a part of is just such a masterpiece. She matches Charli's energy so perfectly on her verse as she sings, "Don't have to guess the color of your underwear, already know what you've got goin' on down there". One of the most iconic lines of the remix is, "Charli likes boys, but she knows I'd hit it," at the end of Billie's verse, "Charli, call me if you're with it". Again, it is all just meant to be very funny and playful and so unserious - which are all of the reasons why it's so great!

I had the chance to hear this song live at Billie's show in New York City last year, which was literally one of the greatest live experiences I've ever witnessed. The room went dark and Charli appeared on the screens saying her iconic line "Hey Billie, you there?". The first verse of the "Guess" music video then played on the screen as the arena was illuminated by ~~neon~~ brat green strobe lights everywhere. The crowd went so crazy for the first verse of "Guess" as if Charli herself was actually there, the energy in the room that night was just the most insane thing to experience! When it came time for Billie's verse, she popped out of a small B stage like a toaster at the other end of the arena when Charli sang the "eat it up for lunch, yeah it's so delicious" lyric. There were so many parts of the show that I loved so so so much, but that was absolutely one of my favorite moments of the night. The energy in the room was so electric, I will never forget it! The instrumental break after Billie's verse was the best too. Let me tell you, brat summer was alive and well that night at Madison Square Garden!

This album and all of the subsequent remixes have just been genuinely iconic, so well thought out and executed. It's not gimmicky, manufactured music that is just for the charts - all of the BRAT remixes are amazing examples of artists coming together fully for the art of it all and nothing else. Again, that is so rare and such a joy to see as a fan. While these songs served as the introduction to brat and its completely different but also still brat, before we even knew it existed, the rest of the record is stacked with incredible featuring artists.

Among the other high-profile features on BRAT came the much-anticipated collaboration with Ariana Grande on "Sympathy is a knife". The perspective of the song shifted significantly on the remix following the release of the original album and the massive attention it received. As a result, Charli's words and lyrics began to be taken out of context and dissected in ways that were never intended. "Sympathy is a knife" became a particularly controversial track, sparking speculation for reasons that were far removed from Charli's original intent. Truthfully, the song was never about anyone else, nor about any petty rivalry or taking sides - it has always been solely rooted in Charli's own insecurities and experiences. This scrutiny gave her "...empathy for bigger artists who go through that on a daily basis," as she shared in an interview with Apple Music. It also led her to fully realize that "you are only really knowledgeable about your own position." Reflecting on this, she added, "I had heard that Ari wanted to do something, and I was like, this is somebody who definitely knows this feeling more so than me."

Ari and Charli both complement each other so well as they trade their experiences back and forth, with struggles that cut like "a knife" living in the public eye. It's an unfiltered dialogue between the two, while they each share the way the weight of having so many people judge and dissect your every move takes an emotional toll. Charli opens with lines like, "It's a knife when a journalist does a misquote," and, "It's a knife when somebody says they like the old me and not the new me, and I'm like, 'Who the fuck is she?'" Her words cut through with a mix of frustration and defiance, capturing the pain of being misunderstood and judged. Ariana's verse adds another layer to the already deeply personal track. "It's a knife when you know they're counting on your mistakes, it's a knife when you're so pretty, they think it must be fake, it's a knife when they dissect your body on the front page," she sings in her verse, "It's a knife when they won't believe you, why should you explain?"

Their experiences shed light on the impossible standards women are often subjected to in the media, doing so in a way that is so empowering. Together, they deliver the sharply written refrain, "'Cause it's a knife when you're finally on top, 'cause logically the next step is they wanna see you fall to the bottom." The song is deeply cathartic, as it becomes a shared moment of solidarity and understanding between them. It poignantly captures the unique challenges they face, encapsulating both the highs and lows of fame.

Speaking of being taken out of context, the following track, "I might say something stupid" featuring The 1975 and Jon Hopkins, expands upon this theme. George Daniel, drummer and producer of The 1975, and Charli's fiancé, played a significant role in shaping the creation of BRAT and its surrounding lore. He's one of my favorite producers of all time and I was really looking forward to hearing the direction he and the rest of the band went in on this song.

The timing of this track also feels particularly significant, as it marks one of Matty Healy's first major artistic responses following the media storm and controversies he found himself at the center of in 2023. "I really wanted him to do the song. He’s like my brother now, you know?" Charli said in an interview with Apple Music. She continued, "And I hope he wouldn’t mind me saying this, but I have an endless amount of respect for him as a songwriter and him as a person. But I sometimes want to strangle him."

It is emotionally raw and honest, with a minimalistic electronic production that reminds me of their 2020 album Notes On A Conditional Form. "I could say something smart, but I might say something stupid," Matty sings in the opening lines of the song with a striking sense of self-awareness. It's one of the most moving moments on the album, peeling back the layers of who Matty is beneath the media's portrayal. "I don't know if I belong here anymore" is a lyric Charli sings in the original song, but now Matty sings it in the remix with an added emotional weight to it. The lyrics are simple and direct, opening up about his drug addiction and contemplating leaving his career behind to live a different life. "Don't worry, it's pretty common, it happens to lots of guys, medicine makes me a problem, 'I'm famous, but I'm not quite'".

Just like "Sympathy is a Knife," this track highlights how they are both relentlessly scrutinized by the media, with every word dissected and often turned into something it's not. While some criticism can be justified sometimes, most of it feels unnecessary. Reflecting on The 1975's recent tour and the importance of what they do in their art, Charli shared in the same interview, "I just really enjoy people who take a risk in terms of what they're putting out there artistically...It's a little divisive, but I think great art is divisive."

"Everything is romantic" stands out as one of the most dramatically altered tracks in terms of meaning compared to the original versions. It features Charli's friend and frequent collaborator, Caroline Polachek, delivers an incredible performance written in a very reflective and stream-of-consciousness style. This song really hit me hard with how emotionally moving it is. It captures the feeling of getting caught up in the chaos of everything and forgetting to take a step back to enjoy life and the beauty around you. It's a beautiful reminder of how important it is to romanticize life. Caroline singing, "It's like you're living the dream, but you're not living your life," particularly struck me. It perfectly encapsulates that yearning to reconnect with yourself and "fall in love again and again" with life.

Charli plays a much smaller role in this song, as Caroline writes to her as a friend calling to help her adjust to the whirlwind she's experiencing post-BRAT. The song ends with Charli asking, "living that life is romantic, right?", referencing the chorus of "Von dutch" and serving as a reflective moment that ties the theme together beautifully.

"Everything Is Romantic" feels like the emotional core of this remix album, as Charli attempts to ground herself and reconnect with her roots as an artist. On tracks like "Rewind," featuring Swedish rapper Bladee, the vulnerability also runs deep as both artists open up about their mental health and their yearning to go back to a time when life felt simpler. It was one of the first songs Charli recorded for this remix album, setting the tone for the journey she would take on the rest of the project. She sings about being overwhelmed by fame but also wanting to "...see my face all up in the press, when I don't, sometimes I get a little bit depressed".

"B2b" featuring Tinashe also feels very reflective of their shared journeys but takes more of a celebratory tone for how far they've come in the past decade of their respective careers. It takes the repetitive "back to back" chorus and shifts it into a new context - not about a relationship like the original, but about working non-stop and thriving in their successes. This was one of my favorite songs from BRAT, and I love how it evolved on the remix. Charli captures this perfectly in the first verse, singing, "I'm fuckin' tired, but I love it and I'm not complainin', oh, shit, I kinda made it." The playful and conversational lines are also such a highlight, "'Hey, Tinashe, wanna do this song?' Two days later, got the vocals cut, oh my god, we really blew the fuck up, now everybody wants what we got, 'cause we made 'em 'Boom Clap,' made 'em get '2 On.'" It's a perfect example of how this track celebrates their journeys while keeping things light and fun.

"So I" featuring A.G. Cook is another incredibly special moment of the record that serves as a tribute to their late friend, mentor and collaborator, SOPHIE, who passed away tragically in early 2021. Charli has credited her many times as one of the biggest influences in her music and in her life. The original version of the song is deeply emotional and one of the most heart wrenching moments of BRAT, it is a heartfelt ballad that finds Charli trying to process this overwhelming loss, while holding an immense guilt for wishing she let herself be closer to her instead of pushing her away at times. The remix is written from a different mindset, detailing all of the very specific moments they've shared, inside jokes, first meeting each other and first performing together.

"Now I wanna think about all the good times, first met on the outskirts of Stockholm, all of your things in a black suitcase, first day made 'Vroom Vroom' in the basement", she sings in the opening lines of the song. She goes back through all of the great memories they have together, from when they first met, to when she first performed with SOPHIE. "Now I wanna think about all the good times, first time I ever felt alive on stage, in Texas, in matching latex, that's as cool as I'm ever gonna feel," she sings.

Again, it is written in a very stream of consciousness style, as many of the best songs on BRAT are. It is also rooted in SOPHIE's signature electropop sound that she very much created and popularized with her production. Charli and A.G. collaborated on the entire album together, but having him listed as a feature on this particular track is so symbolic to the legacy of SOPHIE and the incredible music the three of them made together. This song now serves as such a beautiful remembrance of their friendship and once in a lifetime creative partnership they shared.

The original version of "Apple" went on to become one of the unexpected hits of the album, it really took on a life of its own in a really special way. It's a song that many people will be able to apply the message of it into their own lives and take something from. She uses the symbolism of an apple to represent the inherited traits and intergenerational traumas that have been passed down from her parents. "I guess the apple don't fall far from the tree, 'cause I've been looking at you so long now I only see me," she sings in the first line of the song. Charli wants to escape all of it, but finds that she can't escape from herself, so instead has to grow new seeds for future generations.

The remix of the song, featuring Amber Bain of The Japanese House, takes on a similar tone in terms of them each opening up about their distant and complicated relationships with their parents. "Somebody asked me how you're doing and I make excuses and I say you're fine," Amber sings in her verse, "I keep trying not to think about you, but I seem to think about you all the time". "When you made me, you made me so sad, so sad," she goes onto sing in the refrain. In the final verse of the song, Charli sings the poignant words, "Sometimes when I go home, it doesn't feel like home, don't know if you can hear me inside this conversation."

I absolutely love the music George Daniel has produced with Amber over the years, they are a really great creative team and that synergy really shines on this remix. George also sings backing vocals as well, which is a beautiful addition to the song. Looking at it now, "Apple" really does sound like a song by The Japanese House, which is something I didn't realize at first, but am so happy they came together to officially collaborate on a track as special as this is. It's another unexpected collaboration that turned out to be an absolutely perfect pairing.

While she grapples with her own relationship with her parents, Charli also explores the idea of becoming a mother herself on "I think about it all the time". It really took me off guard and deeply moved me on my first listen. With this song, she is questioning if she is ready to have a baby, if she is running out of time to do so, and if that would also mean she had to give up her career too. "Am I less of a woman if I don't have a kid? Will I feel like I've missed out on my purpose in life? I know we're not supposed to say that, but it's this biological and social programming," she said in an interview with Rolling Stone.

On the remix, she takes a similar approach but filters it through the lens of how her life has drastically changed in the past year. The feeling of being stuck between the decision of taking time off to start a family or continuing to ride the wave of her career's massive success becomes central to the song. The remix features Bon Iver, creating an incredible pairing where Justin Vernon validates Charli's feelings with his lyrics. "You're lonely and you're scared to run out of time, and you're asking, 'When did it get so hard?'" he sings, adding a deeply introspective layer to the track.

Charli's first verse is delivered in an almost spoken-word conversational style, which perfectly suits the weight and meaning behind the song. "First off, you're bound to the album, then you're locked into the promo, next thing three years have gone by," she sings, followed by, "Me and George sit down and try to plan for our future, but there's so much guilt involved when we stop working, 'cause you're not supposed to stop when things start working." These lines capture the passage of time and her fear of not being able to balance all the roles she aspires to - being both an artist and one day a mother - and the guilt that comes from prioritizing one over the other.

Charli also pushes her voice to incredible new heights on this track, delivering a performance filled with raw emotion. Justin adds a unique touch to the production, which he discussed in an interview on The Tonight Show. He shared, "My friend Danielle Haim told me, 'You should sample Nick of Time, the old Bonnie Raitt song,' and I was like, 'That’s such a good idea,' because Charli's song was about running out of time."

"And I'm exactly the same, but I'm older now, and I got even more stress on my body, so we had a conversation on the way home, 'Should I stop my birth control? 'Cause my career still feels small in the existential scheme of it all,'" she sings. Charli captures these universal feelings of womanhood that many don't open up about in such a way. Between societal pressures, balancing dreams and biological clocks, she tackles these topics with remarkable depth and vulnerability.

The song ends with one of its most poignant lines, "I found love, baby, but I was scared to run out of time, I think about it all the time, was I made for this? I'm confused with all these feelings, I'm confused what's on my mind, when I make a sacrifice, just in the nick of time, I'm so scared to run out of time." It’s a powerful reflection that leaves me moved every time I hear it.

Between all the introspective and deeply honest moments this album brings, Charli balances it out with the most wild and fun party songs. On the surface, that's kind of what BRAT is, but for those who aren't as familiar with Charli and her music, they might not realize just how deeply profound so much of it actually is. The super fun and bratty tracks are sprinkled throughout the heavier moments of the album, creating such a varied dynamic.

One of the standout tracks from the remix album is the "Talk talk" remix featuring Troye Sivan. Released alongside the start of their start of their joint SWEAT Tour to promote both of their latest projects, this remix is so energetic and addictive to listen to. Troye takes the lead, with Charli only singing part of the chorus. Just as Charli does, Troye also has such a talent for creating entrancing dance music, and his collaborations with her always feel seamless. In an interview with Billboard, Troye shared how this collaboration came to be. Charli sent him the track before the rest of BRAT had even been released, encouraging him and his collaborators to use the original song as a "seed" to experiment and create his own interpretation. What Troye did was essentially sample the original version and then craft an entirely new one around it, showcasing a creative approach to remixing.

"Talk talk" was one of my favorite songs on the original album, but I might honestly love the remix even more. It's very different from the original while maintaining that similar tone of meeting someone new and the very early stages of falling in love. Troye's opening verse sets the mood perfectly: "I'll be honest, you scare me, my life's supposed to be a party." In the pre-chorus, he continues, "'Cause we talk that talk, yeah we talk all night and the more I know you, the more I like you, can you stick with me? Maybe just for life?" I also love the shoutout to Charli herself within the track, "Boy, come see me, we could pop our shit to Charli."

Dua Lipa also makes a cameo with a spoken-word intro and outro, which adds a such a cute touch. I'd love for her and Charli to collaborate in a more extended way someday - maybe there's still hope for the "Hello goodbye" remix!

The original party girl gods, Charli and Kesha, finally joined forces for the remix of the iconic bonus track "Spring Breakers". This collaboration feels long overdue and takes a more traditional remixed approach compared to the rest of the album, but it's just as impactful as the rest. I love how Kesha delivers a playful nod to her 2009 classic with the line, "Singin' my song, singin' along 'Tik Tok,' bitch 'til the kingdom come," adding so much humor and nostalgia to the track.

A really special connection this remix album made was between the second track, "Club classics," and the iconic closing track of the original album, "365." This fits in so well with the ethos of brat and its completely different but also still brat, with her evolving the original BRAT album and reworking the meaning behind every single song into something brand new.

"Club classics" was produced by two of her frequent collaborators, A.G. Cook and George Daniel. "'Club classics' started in George's kitchen,” Charli wrote on Instagram when the original version of it was released. "I was talking about missing hearing Sophie’s music as much as I used to at parties and ended up turning this thought into a song about only really wanting to hear my own music and my friends' music at clubs (true)." That sentiment is exactly what the song is lyrically too, with lyrics like "I wanna dance to me, I wanna dance to A.G., I wanna dance with George, I wanna dance to SOPHIE," etc. is repeated throughout the song, which very much sets the scene for this non-stop dance party that makes up the BRAT listening experience. My favorite is the line, "Yeah I wanna dance to me me me me when I go to the club club club club".

For the remix, Charli samples her own "365" for the chorus instead of including the original one. To me, this symbolizes the certified club classic status "365" achieved in the months following its release. The remix also features Bb Trickz, a Spanish rap artist, who adds an electrifying energy to the track. So much of BRAT has quickly become inescapable club and party anthems, with this remix really honoring that in such a special way.

Every version of "365" is so incredible, but I can't believe we've gone so long without the remix featuring Shygirl! First teased in early 2024 during promotion for Charli’s Boiler Room set, this track features some of the album's most incredible production. It retains most of the original song, which just goes to show how impactful "365" already is, but Shygirl’s verse elevates the remix even more. Having toured with Charli and Troye on the SWEAT Tour, she makes such an incredible addition to this track.

The drop of "party girl, party girl, party girl, party girl" being repeated over and over is such an intense and intoxicating part of the song and really exudes the high energy that BRAT holds. I can never get enough of it and definitely sounds the best with the volume cranked all the way up. It is actually so funny to listen to this album beginning to end and go from a song like "I think about it all the time" directly into the chaos of "365" - the track listing is just so genius and again depicts the two sides of Charli so perfectly.

"Who the fuck are you? I'm a brat when I'm bumpin' that," Charli sings as the production gets even more intense and distorted. "Now I wanna hear my track, are you bumpin' that? 'Til the windows crack, I'll be bumpin' that". It perfectly embodies all the wild, intoxicating energy that BRAT radiates in the best way possible.

This fresh approach to making music is truly incredible to witness, it's never been done like this before. It shines a spotlight on all the different lives a single song can live in such a unique way. Charli took the concept of a song, or sometimes just the title, and transformed it into something completely fresh and innovative. Highlighting the many lives a single song can take on is such a revolutionary idea for pop music, and it's quickly become a cornerstone for the culture. "There's so many of the same goals and the same attitude and approach to things, and now to have a larger mainstream is really interesting for how uncompromising it is. For me personally, it proves that's even possible within pop music," A.G. Cook said in an interview with The Recording Academy.

brat and its completely different, but also still brat is about exploring how a song's concept can be reimagined and the alternative meanings it can hold when given the chance to be reworked. This approach is groundbreaking and pushes the boundaries of what pop music can achieve. Even if she had only dropped the Lorde and Billie collabs, it still would've been one of the biggest and most impactful pop culture moments of the decade so far. But for her to release an entirely different seventeen track album further solidifies the impact of BRAT.

Following the massive success that the entire BRAT era achieved, so many are eagerly anticipating what Charli will do next. She has always been making music that's as bold and innovative as this album, but now it's reaching a much wider mainstream audience than ever before. That recognition is long overdue and absolutely deserved, but from this point forward, the trajectory of her career will likely be completely different than it was this time last year. Regardless of mainstream commercial success, her forward-thinking approach to her art and sound has always set her apart in the industry.

Charli's frequent collaborator and producer, Finn Keane, offered some interesting insights into Charli's creative process in an interview with The Recording Academy. "There is a desire in her to do the complete opposite thing again, which is very in keeping with her ethos," he revealed. "Some of the conversations we're having and music we've been playing around with the last couple of months have been completely the opposite." He further praised Charli’s artistic approach, calling it the "...iconoclastic impulse to rebuild something completely different, to show that you actually could do this other thing, this whole other side of your artistry."

He continued to elaborate on her post-BRAT ideas, highlighting the intentional deviation from the energy of this record. "It's been really funny, in the months after finishing the remix album, any other musical discussion that has taken place has been kind of anti-BRAT. I doubt that'll stick, but that's been a really interesting thing to observe and makes me very optimistic and excited about what's next."

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out my full review of the original version of BRAT, as well as my vinyl reviews of the Record Store Day exclusive "Guess" remix vinyl featuring Billie Eilish, the Urban Outfitters Exclusive vinyl of "Guess"/"Spring Breakers" and more of my favorite albums of 2024. ☆

-Melissa ♡

Photo Credit: Charli XCX, Harley Weir, Atlantic Records

brat by Charli xcx // Album Review

"Guess" remix by Charli xcx & Billie Eilish // Record Store Day 2025 Exclusive 7' Vinyl

"Spring Breakers" / "Guess" by Charli xcx // Urban Outfitters 2024 Singles Day Exclusive 7" vinyl + song reviews

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