Charli XCX - BRAT CRÍTICA DE ÁLBUM

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AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Olá a todos, sou BRATthony
Greeentano,

o nerd de música mais ocupado da internet.
E é hora de uma crítica

deste novo disco "Brat" de Charli xcx.

Aqui temos o 6º álbum oficial
de estúdio da cantora pop e

compositora Sra. Charli xcx.

Um dos meus álbuns mais esperados do
ano, por quê?

Bem, na última década, aos meus olhos,
Charli se tornou uma das forças

mais criativas, únicas e pioneiras
na música pop atual.

E a evolução dela tem sido interessante
de assistir, para dizer o mínimo.

Não sou fã de seus primeiros
trabalhos, na verdade, mas

hoje eles servem como um ponto
de referência interessante.

Pelo que ela está fazendo neste
disco.

As eras "True Romance" e "Sucker" de
sua carreira, trouxeram alguns dos

seus maiores sucessos e
participações até hoje, verdade,

mas sonoramente, grande parte da música que ela
estava lançando nessa época não estava

muito ousada ou mesmo profunda.

Na melhor das hipóteses, poderia
dizer que era pegajosa, da época.

Em meados da década de 2010, no entanto,
é quando a música dela

realmente começou a empurrar os limites.

Juntando-se criativamente com
compositores e produtores da

gravadora de música PC em ascensão.

Estou falando de pessoas como
Danny L Harle e EASYFUN, A.G Cook,

e a falecida SOPHIE,

que na época estavam ganhando
uma boa reputação pela

revitalização da estética pop
da era Y2k, mas com um

som hiperfuturista e nervoso.

E o nosso primeiro gosto dessa
nova direção veio na forma do

EP "Vroom Vroom" de Charli xcx em 2016.

O que alguns críticos simplesmente
não sabiam o que dizer na época,

e embora tenha sido meu EP do ano
naquele ano,

Eu ainda podia ver como ele teria
afastado muitas pessoas se elas

chegassem na música de
Charli com certas expectativas,

já que ela era uma artista pop.

Porque o tom de "Vroom Vroom" é,
em pontos, meio escuros e viscerais

e maneiro de um jeito estranho.

Brega, também, com algumas faixas variando
descontroladamente de parte a parte que,

você poderia entender o que ela estava
fazendo como uma piada ou inovação.

No entanto, as faixas deste EP
são seríssimas.

E foram um passo novo e ousado para
música pop, bem como um momento popular,

para Charli e PC Music de forma criativa.

Porque neste ponto, Charli se tornou
o canal perfeito para o que eles

estavam tentando canalizar essa
reconstrução detalhada e retro-futurista

da música pop dos anos 2000,
que desfocam as linhas entre o satírico,

e o reverente.

Enquanto isso, a química criativa
de Charli com A.G e SOPHIE

a permitiu, eu acho, a experimentar mais
e amadurecer como compositora.

Permitindo a ela a liberdade de lançar
hits loucos, bem como

hinos elegantes e poderosos.

Músicas com estruturas estranhas
ou características muito improváveis,

Muitas dessas ideias e conceitos foram
mais ou menos testados na estrada na

mixtape que ela lançou em 2017,

e então, aos meus olhos, foi
totalmente executado em seu excelente

disco "Charli" de 2019.

Agora, ao longo dos anos, como Charli
desenvolveu esse novo som,

sua escrita ofereceu mais profundidade,
tornou-se mais pessoal e íntima,

em especial seu álbum da pandemia
"How I 'm Feeling Now".

Mas acho que a escrita dela cresceu
mais conceitual, também.

Com uma apresentação elegante,
de inglesa festeira em muitas músicas

se tornou, mais ou menos, uma personagem
exagerada que ela interpreta.

Porém, de certa forma, o som reconhecível
instantaneamente de Charli e lugar único

na paisagem pop, tornou-se tanto uma
bênção e uma maldição na década de 2020.

Porque seu estilo tinha passado de
desafiador para meio que definível

com este recém-criado "hiper-pop"
termo que estava sendo colocado em todos

que soassem vagamente
como ela ou 100gecs.

E ela rapidamente passou a se despir
de muitas características "hiper"

de sua música no próximo álbum "Crash"
trabalhando com novos produtores

E embora eu não possa negar que o disco
apresenta alguns hits respeitáveis,

Eu tenho que perguntar: a que custo?

Porque "Crash", de forma muito mensurável,
tinha muito menos personalidade do que

qualquer coisa que Charli tinha lançado
nos últimos anos.

O que nos traz até hoje. O último ciclo
de álbuns de Charli, "BRAT".

Onde eu acho que ela está genuinamente
se reconectando com a trajetória que

a trouxe até este ponto e fez dela
uma artista especial.

Even EASYFUN and A.G Cook are back
in the mix on this production side,

on a whole lot of tracks, uh, numerous
others too.

There are even references to A.G Cook
on some of the lyrics to this record

as quite a bit of meta-commentary
is going on as well.

You can really tell that Charli is fully
embracing the impact she's had on pop music

in recent years, and really using it as
more of a strength than a weakness

that she can be pigeon holed into.

And I think that's something she can
do confidently because

her and A.G Cook aren't just merely
trying to, y'know,

revive some kind of hyperpop trend on
this LP.

I mean, for sure, Charli's goal and focus
is to give us this autotuned, bold,

and hard-hitting homage to 2000s era
pop music,

but this time around we have a refreshing
focus on dance-pop, on EDM from that era,

on electropop from that era, club bangers
generally.

With a pretty aggressive edge, making this
LP very worthy of the title "BRAT".

Because this record is meant to be
danced to.

And, at points, cry to.

As I think Charli's writing is more mature
and thoughtful than it's ever been.

For one, her party girl persona takes
a bit of a dark turn,

or at least gets deflated a bit

as she reveals that it's kind of a
mask,

and that she doesn't always feel
like she's worthy of being there at the party

or that her and the party are a bit
at odds.

Meanwhile, "i think about it all the time"
sees Charli musing about whether or not

she can continue her career in the way
she currently is,

while also becoming a mother, which she
very clearly has interest in at some point.

Skipping ahead here, it's also kind of
crazy how narratively, this contrasts so hard

with her going back full into party mode
on the closing track, "365".

Of course, there are notes of nostalgia
on this album, too, that is very much

in line with tracks like "1999", most
notably on "Rewind",

but this song specifically is more about
Charli missing the older aspects

of her life before the fame.

Between sticky choruses on this track,
she delivers her verses in this way that

kinda comes off like, conflicted internal
monologue, or like

she's musically journaling.

There are lots of tracks on this thing too
that deal in love.

But these songs narratively feel vastly
different from previous singles like

"Good Ones", for example.

Tracks where historically, Charli can be
seen running away from love

or being a bit self-effacing and talking
about how she's fucking it all up.

Instead, on songs such as the really
infectious

singing "Talk talk to me!"

as, uh, as well laughs
as the very cinematic

singing "Everything is romantic"

Yeah, Charli can be seen accepting
love and doing quite a few shoutouts

to her fiancé George.

But yes, between this and numerous nods
to wanting to have maybe a more normal

life at some point, Charli really presents
some interesting internal conflicts

throughout this album, which we also
hear as well on tracks where she is

singing about things like friendship
and sharing the limelight with other women.

I mean, historically Charli is very
pro-woman,

especially when it comes to supporting
other artists with her music

through features, through attention she
can throw their way with her creativity

I mean, even look at the lyrics in the
music video to one of the big singles

from this record, "360".

That is the Charli that most fans
know and love.

By that same token, there are
numerous songs on this record

where she is being very unfiltered
and just admitting

how, just, insecure and plagued with
fear she is sometimes.

There's "Sympathy is a knife" where she
talks about, just, being so

self-conscious around this other woman
that she wishes for

a gun to shoot herself with.

Which is context that some fans might
even miss if they're mostly wrapped up

in the roaring bass and fantastic string
hits going on the dance beat.

There's also "GIrl, so confusing" where
Charli sings about the difficulties

of letting people in, and navigating
the music industry among other

people who she may have a difficult
time connecting with,

knowing how to trust.

The song seems to be very specifically
about a single person who

maybe she's been likened to by fans
but she doesn't fully see it.

However, there's still a desire there
on some level to make the friendship

or the connection work.

Then the song "Von dutch" sees Charli
getting pretty aggressive and

combative lyrically.

Specifically in regards to someone who
doesn't seem to like her,

maybe even is talking behind her back.

And her response to that is, essentially,
this big anthemic "Fuck you" here.

Where she's delivering some biting lyrics
about how this person may actually be

nothing if it weren't for some
"little dance" they're doing.

So, yeah, there are these intense
emotional peaks all over the album

but the biggest bombshell of all of them
has to be the song, "So I".

Which is very obviously a tribute to the
late great producer and songwriter SOHPIE

who actually collaborated with Charli
quite a few times,

so consistently, in fact, from an outside
perspective, I don't think any fan of either

Charli or SOPHIE would have presumed
anything of them and their connection.

Other than something along the lines of,
"Hey, they're collaborators, they have

big respect for each other, they
love each other,

they're probably friends,

Charli, SOHPIE, SOPHIE, Charli,
name a more iconic duo-"

But what Charli says on this track here
actually tells a very different story

and is quite revealing in a way that
is actually pretty admirable.

Because the angle of the song is,
yes, very sad, obviously,

but it doesn't necessarily paint Charli
in the best light.

And, again, it's painfully sad and
has made me reflect on the tone

that tributes in art or whatever
other medium often take.

They usually end up being less about
the tributed person

and more about the tributer's love and
adoration.

"Look how great I think this person
is, who we all think is great."

And Charli's song here does contain
quite a bit of praise for SOHPIE

that's true, don't get me wrong.

But a lot of the track is actually an
admittance on Charli's part, with her

pretty much saying, "I was a shitty
friend."

"I kinda pushed this person away. I wish
I didn't."

"And now, I am plagued with an
insurmountable amount of regret."

Which does make it a really tough listen
even if I think instrumentally and

melodically it is one of the strongest
showings here.

Narratively and emotionally there are
quite a few cuts that I think are

a bit lighter in tone, but they still
contribute a great amount of quality to

the record and are just generally
fun and entertaining to listen to.

There's "Club classics", which I thought
was an incredible single to

the album. Also, "B2b", which is just some
very straightforward, cut and dry,

throwback, quality dance pop with a pretty
clear hot and cold, back and forth

love on the rocks type narrative

There's also "Apple", which is some
very groovy throwbacks synthpop too.

All about a situation and dynamic that
Charli likens to a rotten apple,

it's a situation she describes having to
escape from by car, by plane,

There's "Mean girls", which is a
character portrait about exactly that,

with a soaring and anthemic chorus
plus a killer piano break

that the entire track builds off of
from there.

And then at the very end there's
"365", which is this

version of the song "360" that kicks
the record off, this

mirrored, remix-as-reprise big finish.

With some acid bass mixed in there
for good measure.

So, I love the way the record finishes.
Love the way it kicks off,

and the flow from moment to moment
generally is great.

It's to the point where certain tracks
in the leadup to the record

that I thought were just kind of okay
sound better being reinforced

by the vibes and the aesthetics of the
surrounding songs on the album.

Because as I've heard the entire
thing now many times over,

I don't think there's a skip on it.

The production generally goes hard
as hell, it is vibrant, it is colorful,

it is very visceral at times, aggressive,
but,

I can see some people kinda scratching
their heads at the fact that it doesn't

come across quite as futuristic as some
of those "hyperpop" classics

in recent years.

But more importantly 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 is still a very clear and
consistent aesthetic focused on

the entire album that centers around
a certain era of pop and dance music.

So, I'm not necessarily disappointed
with this record not being as

ahead of the curve as a project like
"Charli", for example.

Especially considering that Charli xcx
copycats these days are abound.

The impact that people like her and A.G
and SOPHIE have had on the modern era

of pop music, is not going anywhere
anytime soon.

And it's with that I say I loved
"BRAT", killer album,

and I think that this record proves that
Charli truly is a generational pop artist.

Which is why I'm feeling a strong 9,
to a 10 on this LP.

Tran-

sition. Have you given this album a
listen? Did you love it? Did you hate it?

What would you rate it?
"You're the best, you're the best",

What should I review next?
Hit the like if you'd like,

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Anthony Fantano, Charli xcx. Forever.