For anyone who has been online this summer, neon green hues, bright black Arial font, and catchy EDM pop beats should immediately remind you of Charli XCX’s mega-hit, “Brat.” Released on June 7 by Atlantic Records, “Brat” is Charli’s sixth studio album and arguably her career’s greatest success. From the viral TikTok dances to the album cover’s unique aesthetic, “Brat” has gained extreme popularity within the echo chambers of social media, and has encouraged the culture to embrace a “party girl lifestyle” reminiscent of the early 2010s. With the album’s trademark over the summer of 2024, there was no surprise when Charli XCX released an entire album of remixes titled “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” on October 11.
The remix album had many attention-grabbing collabs, with features from artists such as Lorde, Addison Rae, Troye Sivan, Ariana Grande, and Billie Eilish. More than anything, “Brat’s” signature pop-centric and colorful style allowed the featured artists to add rambling, introspective verses that revealed their insecurities and troubles. For example, in the “Sympathy Is a Knife” remix, Ariana Grande’s verse confronts the toxic social-media culture of tearing down celebrities. Despite the difficulties that come with reimagining an entire album with versatile collaborators, Charli XCX was able to pull it off. However, with the release of “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat,” is the era of “Brat” starting to come to an end?
One of the many reasons that “Brat” became trendy in the first place was because it embraced an edgy, colorful, rave, vibe that seemed to have faded away in recent years. With more and more internet trends revolving around minimalism and muted colors, “Brat” felt like a breath of fresh air. While the trend of “Brat” was fun to play around with for a summer, it has also seemingly run its course. It’s undeniable that the hype around “Brat” started to die as fall began, as much of the album’s aesthetic and stylistic decisions revolved around summer clubbing culture. With the release of “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat,” a new chapter is undoubtedly beginning.
Although some believed that the remix album would be repetitive as the title suggests, “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” is able to differentiate itself enough to the point where it has created something new entirely. The main purpose of the original “Brat” was to embrace the unorthodox. This purpose has run its course and transformed both the music industry and pop culture. Therefore, the era of “Brat” Summer that had to do with being out-of-the-box has come to a close. While many believed that “Brat” would completely die out with the end of “Brat” Summer, Charli XCX’s remix album has managed to revive “Brat’s” essence.
Critics who thought that “Brat” has begun to be overplayed and drawn out are proven wrong. The creation of “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” is a sentiment to the fact that this sleazy club girl vibe and electric upbeat sound will never truly go out of style. Thanks to the risks that Charli XCX takes as an artist, “Brat” is projected to have a long-lasting cultural impact. While “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” could have been used as a simple cash grab, it seems to be much more than that. The remix album serves as a safe haven for collaborating artists, where they can be vulnerable and honest. Their overall performances resonate with “Brat’s” raw and extroverted style. Paving the way for new trends that embrace the experimental and defying the soft trends that pop up on our screens each day, “Brat” Summer may have ended, but it seems that “Brat” Fall is on the rise.
