I am not typically someone who engages with pop culture events beyond cinematic ones. This is because I either have no interest in the phenomenon, am busy catching up on other things, or do not understand the craze. And yet, Brat Summer has been an event I am not only aware of but actually a part of for once (despite the fact that for me, it has to be a Brat Winter). There is something about this phenomenon that is exciting as a genuine celebration of a fantastic album, which has not happened often recently.

I admit that I am a new fan of Charli XCX, but having recently gone back and listened to all of her work, this is far and away my favourite album of hers — although I do have a soft spot for her 2020 album “how i’m feeling now”. There is a certain energy that she brings with her music that is missing in the industry right now. When you compare Charli to her contemporaries, her work clearly sticks out from the crowd. There’s an anarchic energy that she brings to her music and is on full display throughout this entire album. However, she is also able to channel this energy to be more subtle and restrained when necessary, as seen in songs like “I think about it all the time”.

This album goes to some truly introspective places, such as “Sympathy is a knife” and the aforementioned “I think about it all the time”. “Sympathy is a knife” examines Charli’s insecurities surrounding another woman who stirs up feelings that she doesn’t want to feel, causing toxic thoughts like suicidal ideation. Lines like “I’d say that there was a God if they could stop this” demonstrate the intensity of her emotions and her helplessness against them.

Meanwhile, the track “I think about it all the time” focuses on Charli’s feelings towards her future with her partner George Daniel and the potential of becoming a mother in the future. This song features very introspective ideas that I was able to really connect to. I always appreciate art where someone examines themselves since even though I may not have not personally had those experiences, I can empathize with that desire to look inward. 

The best track of the album, though, has to be “365”. This slight remix on the opening track “360” serves as the bookend for the album. There are different interpretations as to what Charli means with the phrase “Bumpin’ that” with some believing it refers to drugs while others say that it refers to music at a nightclub. While I think the song is about drug usage at the end of the day, I can appreciate music and art that can have multiple interpretations to it and the conversations that can be created from that. And even ignoring the fascinating lyrics, the music is just an unabashed bop. It’s one of those rare songs that allow you to release yourself from all inhibitions through manic dancing.

I only have one minor issue with “brat”. There are 15 songs on the album, and a few of them do feel a bit like padding. Had they been cut or replaced by the deluxe edition additions “Guess” and “Spring breakers”, this could have been the best album of the decade. Yet as it stands, this is an excellent album and stands as one of the best of the decade without a shadow of a doubt in my mind. 

9/10