Charli XCX keeps party going with 'BRAT' remix album

What do club bathrooms, lime green and Kamala Harris all have in common?

At some point this past summer, they've all been acutely labeled as "BRAT" by the internet, inspired by Charli XCX's trailblazing album release in June. While the record was revered, the album's initial success seemed to transcend the musicality of its tracks. At its peak, "BRAT" became all about a brand.

As summer began to wind down, "brat summer" seemed to be fading into the distance. But, it's back this autumn, in the form of a remix album with 16 reimagined tracks titled, "Brat and it's completely different but also still brat." With a mix of high-profile artists, such as Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish and Lorde, as well as features from up-and-comers like Bb trickz, Bladee and Addison Rae, Charli promises an experience that's authentically "bratty," but also intrinsically unlike its sister album.

As per the title, many of the tracks on the remix album aren't simply altered versions of the originals with new features but, instead, complete overhauls and reinterpretations. Charli dissects a range of themes in this album, meticulously curating her list of features to match each message she wants to get across.

For example, in "Sympathy is a knife featuring ariana grande," Charli sings about navigating the tricky, jagged edges of fame: "It's a knife when you know they're waitin' for you to choke / It's a knife when a journalist does a misquote." Grande, who has found herself at the center of various media controversies and conversations throughout her career, echoes Charli's feelings, singing: "It's a knife when you know they're counting on your mistakes / It's a knife when you're so pretty, they think it must be fake." The remix unites the two sensations and allows a back-and-forth narrative to unravel over a staggering synth beat. 

Tracks like "Guess featuring billie eilish" similarly shine by pairing Charli with artists who are game for anything. Eilish harnesses a cheeky energy as she sings about the color of Charli's undergarments, leaning into the saucy aesthetic she's been flaunting lately in recent releases like "LUNCH."

Seemingly determined to tap into Addison Rae's soon-to-be pop princess status, Charli pulls her for the remix of "Von Dutch," where Rae delivers a girly, nearly 6-second-long shriek. In "Talk talk featuring troye sivan," Sivan dances around catchy video game-esque music while Dua Lipa makes a sneaky appearance at the beginning and in the outro.

Tracks like "Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek," and "Club classics featuring bb trickz" are fresh relistens, with production upturned in both songs. Arguably, the most iconic track comes as a completely unexpected collaboration between Charli and Lorde, who, after a rumored feud, decide they should "work it out on the remix" of "Girl, so confusing."

Though the album has its highlights, several tracks came as disappointing follow-ups to their originals.

Many fans believed that Charli dropped most of the standout remixes prior to the album's release, so the remainder of the album was somewhat underwhelming. Tracks such as "Mean girls featuring julian casablancas" and "I might say something stupid featuring the 1975 & jon hopkins" deviate completely from the original sonic and thematic intent.

Additionally, tracks such as "360 featuring Robyn and Yung Lean" and "Apple featuring the japanese house" exclude what makes those tracks so distinctively "brat." Charli is not "so Julia" anymore in 360, and the "Apple" remix simply feels like a washed out, dreamy mess of the remnants of the irreplaceable original. 

All in all, Charli puts a twist on an album that inducted millions to her fanbase. Instead of trying to reinforce the "club-pop" persona she upheld in "BRAT," she shows fans that she's just bursting with new ideas, and she's masterfully able to redirect her music into any stream.

So maybe, just maybe, we'll be all wearing neon green sweaters for an upcoming "BRAT" winter.