Whether or not you listened to the album, most of you are aware of how massive Brat became during the summer of 2024. Some people will recognize the name, but numerous won’t. However, I’m confident most people remember the lime green album cover talked about all over social media, the dance trends (notably “Apple”), and/or the renowned summer trend – Brat Summer. All of the aforementioned trends came from Charli xcx’s Brat. Brat was released on June 7th, 2024 and was Charli’s sixth studio album. Like most of her previous work, Brat was hyperpop/dance-pop. The album featured production by herself, her longtime executive producer A. G. Cook, her partner George Daniel, and others. Charli xcx’s Brat carried with it great influence, significance, and resulted in a popular cultural movement.
The Marketability of a Lime Green Album Cover
Brat was popular long before it made the Billboard Top 100 though. How is this you may ask? According to authors at Worklife Editorial, “Upon Brat’s announcement, its allure was instantly intertwined with an alarming shade of neon green. The distinctive green, often paired with a simple, pixelated image of the album’s title (in Arial font no less) made for the perfect design to be mass-produced.” Brat was so recognizable even people who had never heard a Charli xcx song knew what it was. Brat’s cover was a lime green background with the album name in arial font (most commonly used font) – simple but highly effective. This simple design also made it easy to mass create merchandise for the album. The infamous album cover wasn’t and still isn’t universally liked though. “The cover was widely criticised, which only fueled its visibility, turning what could have been a liability into a marketing strength and playing directly into the campaign’s success.” (Ghoshdastidar, 2024). Like most forms of media, nobody could agree on whether or not they liked the cover of Brat. Unfortunately for people who disliked or even despised the bright green album cover, their hate only further cemented the album’s popularity. Another factor in Brat’s popularity was the themes of the album.
Common but Complicated Themes
According to Aaron Jarosh, a high school English teacher who is an avid music listener and has heard Brat multiple times over, “Brat’s an attitude. It became its own word and it sparked a movement, which involved embracing the chaoticness and recklessness in a personality. It was also about a lack of caring what other people think and prioritizing yourself.” A few songs from the album that support Mr. Jarosh’s explanation are, “Von Dutch,” “360,” and “Club Classics.” These songs focus on self-confidence and encourage listeners to embrace the club lifestyle – dancing, partying, etc. These songs also suggest ignoring negative opinions from others. Many people I know who practice this are extremely happy. They focus on being themselves and are often optimistic about the world. I think lots of people want to be like this but most can never actually achieve it. Charli also sings about her own personal struggles throughout the album (“I might say something stupid” and “I think about it all the time”). The following is a quote by Anthony Fantano, a famous music critic on YouTube, during his review on Brat, “Charli really presents some interesting internal conflicts throughout this album.” Charli sings about friendship, communication, wanting to be “normal,” and multiple other internal conflicts on this album. The conflicts she presents aren’t necessarily new but they are powerful because they show a different, more unseen version of Charli herself. By admitting her own problems and desires, she is empowering other people to do the same. Fantano also says, “There are numerous songs on this record where she is being very unfiltered in just admitting how insecure and plagued with fear she is sometimes.” While it may not seem that important to some people, admitting your fears and insecurities is often an impossible task. Many people keep these types of things private for years (or for their whole life) and Charli letting the whole world know about her issues definitely took courage and bravery. By admitting her problems, she is also letting people know that they are not alone. These themes sparked another thing, Brat Summer.
A Sensational Summer
“Brat Summer was all about embracing the mindset, it was empowering and it gave people the confidence to get through things.” This comes from Mr. Jarosh and his words perfectly sums up the culture surrounding the album and references the famed Brat Summer trend. The following is a more in-depth explanation of what being “brat” means and is presented by Worklife Editorial, “Underneath all of the products and promotion behind the British pop star’s latest album, a telltale sign of impact emerged before the drop and has lingered for months since; a culture. While relatively undefinable, the quality of being ‘brat’ consists of self-confidence and irreverence, partying, and recklessness.” Charli xcx has altered the word “brat,” turning it from a demeaning and negative word to a word of empowerment and self-identity. Like the article said, being “brat” means being more self-confident, unforgiving, and involves taking things less seriously. While some people believe this to be a bad combination of traits, the message is to basically live your life your own way. Another thing that makes Brat so relatable is the themes of the album. While the album has multiple vastly different themes, these themes are ones people can easily relate to. Problems such as self-image and the expectations of society are issues nearly everyone has experienced, including me. These themes are talked about on “Girl, so confusing” and “Sympathy is a knife.” Along with these negative toned themes, Brat has upbeat and positive tracks (“360,” “365,” and “Club classics”) which touch on themes of being yourself and doing what makes you happy. These polar opposite themes perfectly embody the complexities of being human. Perhaps these common themes are why Kamala Harris used the album to assist her with the 2024 presidential election.
Recognized Nationwide
Worklife Editorial explains the significance of former Vice President Kamala Harris adopting Brat into her presidential social media accounts, “While Vice President Harris embracing the brat culture alongside so many fans worldwide might seem like an entertaining yet fleeting moment, it’s so much more. Remember how I brought up access and the ways Brat has allowed everyone to feel like they’re a part of something? How the tracks address so many tastes and topics? This move by Kamala was a tactic to bring the younger generation closer to herself and to stand out from former presidents not only as a woman but as a contemporary presidential candidate who’s up to speed with the latest trends.” Brat became so popular during the summer of 2024, even the white house took notice. The social media account for Kamala Harris’s campaign embraced Brat, changing its font, coloring, and overall tone of what was being posted. By doing this, Harris set herself apart from previous presidents by standing up and embracing her status as a woman and by attempting to unite a generation which most previous presidents had ignored (people around 18 who just gained the right to vote). Whether or not you agree with Harris and her usage of Brat for her campaign, it presents the inarguable fact that the album had a large, lasting impact on people. How much did Kamala Harris actually listen to Brat though?
Connection Pulls You In
Regardless of if they finished it or not, millions of people have listened to Brat. However, a majority of listeners didn’t pay more than a surface level amount of attention to what was happening from song to song. The following is Fantano’s opinion on the album as a whole, “I love the way the record finishes, love the way it kicks off, and the flow from moment to moment generally is great” Fantano, Mr. Jarosh, and myself seem to all have the same belief about Brat – once you put on a track from the album, you have to keep listening to it. The music is so good it pulls you in for more and the connection between each track makes you want to fully finish the album over and over again. In terms of the production, I think the instrumental and sound design matches the vibe of each song perfectly. Fantano also shares my sentiment for the production aspect of the album, “What I think the production does on this album is that it serves the songs. It’s sweet when it needs to be, it’s dynamic when it needs to be, it’s lowkey or explosive when it needs to be and there’s still a very clear and consistent aesthetic focus on the entire album that centers around a certain era of pop and dance music.” Perhaps this is what makes Brat so replayable and enjoyable – the production on each song fits the overall vibe and lyrics of it. The whole album also makes more sense as a whole because of the multiple different types of themes and sub genres that are presented. The way this album plays out indicates much time and dedication was required for its creation.
Significance of Brat
In a time where trends come and go, Brat Summer felt like a lifetime. Some people hated Charli xcx and the stuff she created while others loved it. Nonetheless, the time and dedication put into Brat most definitely paid off. Charli used her talent and raw emotion to create an album that helped lift the mental health of millions of people across the globe, which is something most artists can’t say. Even when the world forgets about Brat Summer and Brat, thousands, if not millions of people will remember it for their whole lives.
