Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat confirms Charli XCX's relentless pursuit of pop debauchery

A summer of bad tattoos on leather-tanned skin; of von-dutch baseball caps once again atop every head; of digital cameras capturing moments of parties your parents would be horrified to see; of mean girls dancing to their club classics. BRAT turned the world on its head, causing everyone to look back fondly on the era of glossy, tacky beauty, whilst looking forward to the events that will take the shape of the next party. Charli XCX made ‘fun’ important again. BRAT was an invitation to listeners to make room in their lives for a bit of hedonism, and whilst the summer has taken its leave, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, reminds us that we are still 365 party-girls.

2022 saw the release of, Crash; a concept album playing with the idea of Charli XCX being a megastar, rather than inhabiting the upper echelons of the underground electronica scene that she has so deftly led for the last eight years. It served as a reminder that Charli is capable of creating great, straightforward pop music, and that she is far more than the hurricane of synths she so adores to surround her. However, back in June 2024, the culture-quake that is BRAT, began pulsing around the very veins of the earth. The album’s arrival saw Charli XCX pick up where she left off almost a decade ago, with the carefree, angst-ridden brashness of 2014’s, SUCKER. The two albums share much of the same DNA, fusing with the maturity of Charli’s foray into alt-pop electronica. As you probably already know, the result was an absolute smash. When it came down to a remix album, however, listeners may have been forgiven for residing in one of two camps: those feeling a sense of BRAT-fatigue; or those that are still, “bumpin’ that”. Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, appeals to both encampments, the album totally reinventing nearly all of the tracks, whilst still leaning into the heady rave vibes the original is so beloved for.

Examples of tracks that barely resemble their original iterations include: “360 featuring robyn and yung lean”, a delightfully whimsical moment from the three child stars as they reflect on their origins and successes; “Club classics featuring bb trickz”, one of the songs on the remix record that could arguably be considered to be superior to the original; and “I might say something stupid featuring the 1975 & jon hopkins”, the one with a feature that may raise a few eyebrows in a kind of, “really Charli, them?” way. A Jon Hopkins remix is a fun idea, but it could be argued that he is somewhat wasted here, especially given he's sharing the track with one of the most controversial voices in British music – one that I’m sure Charli fans will have a LOT to say about – but also because Hopkins is often at his best when his cooly apocalyptic beats take centre stage, something that is notably missing here.

Highlight, “Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek” is a stupidly beautiful moment. Polachek is a master at her craft and knows exactly what to do to a song to make it her own. “So I featuring a.g. cook”, feels like an extension of the original, expanding on the tribute offered to SOPHIE, an artist both Charli and Cook worked closely with. With its elasticated vocals and rubbery beats, the remix acts as a reminder of how Charli has ended up where she currently is today, finding herself a home amongst today’s most pivotal pioneers of pop.

Charli XCX has a long history of collaboration, and BRAT’s remix album shines the brightest when it shows off her impeccable taste for party partners. Despite it being infuriatingly short, “365 featuring shygirl”, is the soundtrack of the sesh, in all its staggering giddiness; “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”, is shockingly filthy, and all the better for it, with Billie sneering, “Charli likes boys but she knows I’d hit it”.“Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde”, is the best thing here. These two artists have been linked since their almost simultaneous emergences back in the early 2010s, and so to have the two of them here, recognising the significance of their pairing, is nothing short of magnificent.

Where Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, may be hindered by its questionable collaboration choices, it more than makes up for it when it comes to displaying Charli XCX’s relentless pursuit of pop debauchery. Her creativity and proliferation are what sets her apart, and although the weather is falling into the deadeningly chilly nights of autumn, BRAT summer still lives on.