"Brat Summer" Extends to "Brat Fall"
By Matthew Landsman
November 6, 2024
The summer of 2024 has been the summer of Charli XCX’s rise to mainstream stardom. On June 7, XCX put out her sixth studio album, “BRAT” without knowing the global impact it would have on the world. Club sounds and partying are back with this album marking her biggest streaming era to date.
The album became the most critically acclaimed album of the year on Metacritic earning a 95%. As soon as the album was released, the term “Brat summer” was born on TikTok.
The ‘Brat summer’ aesthetic is being a messy party girl while still having anxiety over life’s obstacles. From the first track to the last, you are taken through a journey of clubbing and some of XCX’s most vulnerable tracks all in one.
After a successful album, the world thought that was it but XCX had tricks up her sleeve: remixes. Internet sensation Addison Rae joined the “Von Dutch” remix with some help from XCX’s frequent collaborator A.G. Cook. Rae’s scream in the track went viral on TikTok.
After the Von Dutch remix, “360” had its own with Robyn and Yung Lean hopping on for a catchy new version. Everyone was shocked when the news dropped that Lorde would feature on the “Girl, so confusing” remix. The song talks about XCX’s experience with Lorde thinking that she didn’t really like having her around and is constantly compared to the artist looks wise. They worked it out on the remix, fixing the issues between them instantly.
The next remix that would break the internet was “Guess.” Billie Eilish graced the remix becoming her first ever featuring credit. The internet was in an uproar making it a viral hit instantly on social media. XCX fed everybody and she gave it her all making the strongest era in her career.
Coming off the high of iconic remixes and a historic album, The “Sweat Tour” started this summer. Troye Sivan, who was featured on the “Talk Talk” remix, co-headlined the tour. The two singers performed in sold-out arena shows across North America signifying both of their first-ever headlined arena tours. For the show, the duo takes turns performing a few songs each and switching to the other seamlessly with transitions.
You would think after a few iconic remixes and a tour would be the end of “Brat,” but she is unstoppable. She announced a remix album with 12 new additions to the album. The new album came out on October 11. Ariana Grande was featured on the “Sympathy is a Knife” remix, adding lyrics about the constant scrutiny she faces from the public. People constantly dissect her body and say she has changed which was vulnerable for her to share.
Other collaborators on the remix album were Kesha, The 1975, Bon Iver, Tinashe, Caroline Polachek, Jon Hopkins, The Japanese House, Shygirl, BB Tricks, Julian Casablancas, Bladee, and A.G. Cook on another track. The sound of “Brat” drastically changed with the new songs. It sounded more fall-inspired, especially the “Everything is romantic” remix with Caroline Polachek. The song was more slowed down and chill compared to the original with Polachek’s incredible flow as well as the high notes she hits.
“Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” doubled the streams of the original album. XCX has been making consistently amazing music for the last decade but after the mainstream hits like “I Love It” and “Boom Clap,” those numbers were never the same. She went down the more hyperpop route defying the norms of music and creating her unique image in the industry. This record full of club classics and raw emotional tracks finally resonated with the public.
XCX has finally felt that mainstream success making her one of the prominent names this year. People are understanding her music and the lane she is in.
“More than ever now, people are rewarding the niche,” XCX said in an interview for The Guardian. “Finally, it seems fine that I’m just myself, and suddenly people like it. It’s good to finally be accepted. I’m happy with the winding path I’ve taken, and with my status as more of an outsider, because sometimes I feel a bit awkward being in the club. I’m at peace with it all. It’s all cool.”
University of Maryland students share their thoughts on Charli XCX’s rise to mainstream and on the remix album.
“I’ve been a Charli XCX fan for a while, probably since high school, and it’s really cool to see her get all of this love, " Declan Kirby, a (year) government and politics and secondary social studies education major, said. I’ve loved her for a while and to see people catching on is great. I think it’s deserved because the album is really good.”
“I really like the remix album. I feel like she switched the vibe up and like, sort of gave us a fall album and after “Brat Summer,” which I thought was really fun…I think she really reimagines and reinvents the song and I thought a lot of the features were great too. I’m obsessed with the “365” remix particularly, but I thought it was really good,” Kirby added.
“I think Charli XCX has made some amazing songs from my childhood, and seeing her mainstream success is well deserved,” Caitlyn McInerney, a criminology and criminal justice and psychology major said, “She has made a lot of great songs and written for many people so it’s cool to see her popping off.”
The album became the most critically acclaimed album of the year on Metacritic earning a 95%. As soon as the album was released, the term “Brat summer” was born on TikTok.
The ‘Brat summer’ aesthetic is being a messy party girl while still having anxiety over life’s obstacles. From the first track to the last, you are taken through a journey of clubbing and some of XCX’s most vulnerable tracks all in one.
After a successful album, the world thought that was it but XCX had tricks up her sleeve: remixes. Internet sensation Addison Rae joined the “Von Dutch” remix with some help from XCX’s frequent collaborator A.G. Cook. Rae’s scream in the track went viral on TikTok.
After the Von Dutch remix, “360” had its own with Robyn and Yung Lean hopping on for a catchy new version. Everyone was shocked when the news dropped that Lorde would feature on the “Girl, so confusing” remix. The song talks about XCX’s experience with Lorde thinking that she didn’t really like having her around and is constantly compared to the artist looks wise. They worked it out on the remix, fixing the issues between them instantly.
The next remix that would break the internet was “Guess.” Billie Eilish graced the remix becoming her first ever featuring credit. The internet was in an uproar making it a viral hit instantly on social media. XCX fed everybody and she gave it her all making the strongest era in her career.
Coming off the high of iconic remixes and a historic album, The “Sweat Tour” started this summer. Troye Sivan, who was featured on the “Talk Talk” remix, co-headlined the tour. The two singers performed in sold-out arena shows across North America signifying both of their first-ever headlined arena tours. For the show, the duo takes turns performing a few songs each and switching to the other seamlessly with transitions.
You would think after a few iconic remixes and a tour would be the end of “Brat,” but she is unstoppable. She announced a remix album with 12 new additions to the album. The new album came out on October 11. Ariana Grande was featured on the “Sympathy is a Knife” remix, adding lyrics about the constant scrutiny she faces from the public. People constantly dissect her body and say she has changed which was vulnerable for her to share.
Other collaborators on the remix album were Kesha, The 1975, Bon Iver, Tinashe, Caroline Polachek, Jon Hopkins, The Japanese House, Shygirl, BB Tricks, Julian Casablancas, Bladee, and A.G. Cook on another track. The sound of “Brat” drastically changed with the new songs. It sounded more fall-inspired, especially the “Everything is romantic” remix with Caroline Polachek. The song was more slowed down and chill compared to the original with Polachek’s incredible flow as well as the high notes she hits.
“Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” doubled the streams of the original album. XCX has been making consistently amazing music for the last decade but after the mainstream hits like “I Love It” and “Boom Clap,” those numbers were never the same. She went down the more hyperpop route defying the norms of music and creating her unique image in the industry. This record full of club classics and raw emotional tracks finally resonated with the public.
XCX has finally felt that mainstream success making her one of the prominent names this year. People are understanding her music and the lane she is in.
“More than ever now, people are rewarding the niche,” XCX said in an interview for The Guardian. “Finally, it seems fine that I’m just myself, and suddenly people like it. It’s good to finally be accepted. I’m happy with the winding path I’ve taken, and with my status as more of an outsider, because sometimes I feel a bit awkward being in the club. I’m at peace with it all. It’s all cool.”
University of Maryland students share their thoughts on Charli XCX’s rise to mainstream and on the remix album.
“I’ve been a Charli XCX fan for a while, probably since high school, and it’s really cool to see her get all of this love, " Declan Kirby, a (year) government and politics and secondary social studies education major, said. I’ve loved her for a while and to see people catching on is great. I think it’s deserved because the album is really good.”
“I really like the remix album. I feel like she switched the vibe up and like, sort of gave us a fall album and after “Brat Summer,” which I thought was really fun…I think she really reimagines and reinvents the song and I thought a lot of the features were great too. I’m obsessed with the “365” remix particularly, but I thought it was really good,” Kirby added.
“I think Charli XCX has made some amazing songs from my childhood, and seeing her mainstream success is well deserved,” Caitlyn McInerney, a criminology and criminal justice and psychology major said, “She has made a lot of great songs and written for many people so it’s cool to see her popping off.”