If you were missing “brat summer,” Charli xcx’s extended release of her hit studio album should have had you excited to continue the year in “brat fall.” However, “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” lives up to its title. If you were looking for completely new lyrics, you may be disappointed. However, if you were wanting the same songs with different beats, this album is for you.
Starting off with the classic intro to the album, “360” is a remix that does actually have new lyrics from the features of Robyn and Yung Lean. Overall, “360” was a hit the first time, and this version just adds a bit more to bring it to the next level.
The next remix, however, has me a bit underwhelmed. “Club classics” has a certain club classic feeling to it. When thinking about the song with this energy in mind, you really can’t do much better than the original. The feature of Bb trickz is definitely different, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily better. The whole feel of the song, with the change midway through just shifts the original energy that didn’t need to be altered.
“Sympathy is a knife” is pretty similar to the original version, with minimal, but effective, alterations to the background beat. The addition of Ariana Grande was genius, especially given the context of the song. The only complaint I have would be the beat switch 30 seconds before the end of the song. It feels unnecessary and completely threw me off.
The fourth track, “I might say something stupid,” is a nice break in the album from high-energy dance music. Charli gets slower and more intentional about the lyrics to get on a deeper level with her audience on her emotions. The newer version keeps the same vibes but extends the song by more than two minutes, and includes features of The 1975 and Jon Hopkins. As someone who enjoys the music of The 1975 but not the band members themselves, I don’t really know how to feel about Charli’s decision to collaborate with them.
“Talk talk” with Troye Sivan featured was released prior to the remix album; however, I do have to share my appreciation for its inclusion, as before it was simply a single. Sivan has been heavily associated with “Brat” due to the shared headline of the “Sweat Tour” with Charli, and now he is officially on a “Brat” album. Sivan’s higher and smoother vocals mixed with Charli’s iconic voice was a brilliant choice. No notes.
“Von dutch” was also re-released as a remix with A.G. Cook and Addison Rae months prior. However, I think it’s important to once again note the significance of actually associating it with the Brat name. Addison Rae was featured as a guest on the “Sweat Tour” and is now also officially on the “Brat” album.
I, for one, am obsessed with the inclusion of Caroline Polachek’s feature on “Everything is romantic.” I think her vocals make the song have just the right mix of ethereal and club vibes. The same can be said about the following track, “Rewind,” which features Bladee. The remixes just sound so much smoother.
However, the opposite is true with “So I” featuring A. G. Cook. The remix has more club vibes. As there are already songs on this album that do club better, I have to feel that this one was better staying the same.
One song I can say with absolute certainty is better with the feature is “Girl, so confusing” with Lorde. Even if I weren’t a fan of Lorde independent of this song, her verse is just so iconic; I don’t see how anyone could not like it.
The remix of “Apple” with The Japanese House started off not as good as the original, but as it continued I got way more into the different energy this artist brought to the viral song. It won’t ever be as iconic as the original, but it is a good remixed version.
“B2b” with Tinashe definitely has a more club-like feel. This directly contradicts an earlier statement, but this song needed to feel more club. It just has a way nicer sound with the remix than it did with the original.
The new intro to “Mean girls” with Julian Casablancas is a step up from the original version. The more retro sound of the beat mixed with the original results in a very unique and good sound.
I didn’t think I could like a remix version of “365” more than the original; however, Charli and Shygirl made it possible. The highlight of this is the insane repetition of “party girl” instead of “bumpin’ that,” which should have been included in the original.
The last song is “Guess” with Billie Eilish, as the rest of the songs are just the original versions. As is the consensus of most of the population, I feel absolutely fed by this song, specifically Eilish’s verse. The addition of an openly queer person on a song that could’ve been made to just appeal to the straight audience (due to Charli’s own sexuality) was such a smart move, both musically and business wise. And, let’s face it: Eilish’s lyrics were objectively the hottest on the album.
