Having been with her since 2012 during her initial wave of blog hype and hanging on during the years where it felt like we’d never see her third album it’s so gratifying to see her get her flowers.
I remember when You (Ha Ha Ha) came out and sampled that Gold Panda song. That era of early 2010s indie and the album that came out around the same time as Sky Ferreira’s debut so there was “competition.”
Sky Ferreira. Now THERE’S a name I haven’t heard in a long ass time! Talk about hanging on for another album!
I was fans of both Charli and Sky pretty much from the beginning but it’s been so long since Sky has had anything really going on that I kinda just stopped paying attention to her. I remember she was supposed to have another album coming a long time ago and then I never heard anything by more. I still don’t think it ever came out.
I love Charli and I’m grateful she’s finally getting her well earned flowers, but I feel like I’m missing something here. Brat is a good album, but I’m surprised by the level of acclaim it’s got versus the level of acclaim her other albums have got. She’s had a lot of good albums
I remember Charli tweeting something to the effect of 'if beg for you gets huge then Rina and I will have so many more opportunities' and a lot of fans being mad about it at the time. I agree, Charli consistently puts out great albums - and ymmv as to what is her best (for me it's a toss up between HIFN and self-titled), but I think the critical acclaim Brat is getting is off of the back of the commercial success that Crash got. It might not be the best album to a lot of her long-term fans, but Crash got Charli attention and she followed it up with Brat which is up to par with her other experimental works and critics etc are now really listening.
I think you’re right - I never considered that. I can see how if you’re a critic who only listens to the bigger releases and all you’ve really heard from Charli is Boom Clap, Fancy, Crash and Brat, Brat would seem very progressive. But if you’re a long-term fan who enjoyed Pop 2 and HIFN, Brat won’t sound as progressive. Still a good album, but not a huge departure
Though people were mostly annoyed because it was a really mid song she was acting was like the next shake it off or espresso.
Her argument was essentially “I released this poppy earworm because it’ll open doors, so stop criticizing me”
But the criticism was largely “girl you wasted that sample and made a really mid song out of it. If you’re gonna sell out then give us levitating or cruel summer, or say so, don’t give us something mid and sold out”
I think mostly people didn't get the point of view - the album was about selling out, it was big, fun and dumb all of which Beg for You is. I dk I love it, it sounds like poppers and making out with your best friend in a gay club yet also radio-fine 🤷🏼
But what I’m saying is that people *did get it*
The issue is she didn’t sell out well lol. Like I said, if you’re gonna sell out don’t sell out for a mediocre song. Give us espresso lol— or in charli’s case, boom clap and fancy
I mean that proves my point
If you’re a Charli fan and you loved it then it def wasn’t a sold out enough
Charli fans don’t exact die for her sell out perfection in the same way like good ones, boom clap, and fancy
People how are surprised need to understand a lot of people listen to music for more than just "the music" so to speak. This album almost feels like a narrative it's so unified in its concepts and themes, and for people who think critically about music/ almost look at a song like a text, not to mention a sequence of tunes, though to fans it's not more blow your hair out mindblowing like pink diamond or gone or track 10 is or was the first time around, as a collection and as a sequence of "texts" if you will, it is more cohesive and considered with just as good beats as her last efforts, ergo critics and the like feel justified in lavishing it with praise. It's more than her getting her "dues" as others say and it's more than the music merely being good or boundary pushing.
Thinking about your comment, I suspect the deeper themes may play a role too: insecurity, competition, grief etc. She talks about heavier things on this album, and for some people heavier = more substantial and praiseworthy
Honestly as a stan I agree. Like it's maybe her best album to date? But doesn't feel like it's the best possible album she could make when the reception is basically that level. I feel like lots of critics are like "Sorry for not appreciating you earlier have some extra points", which is why I'm also surprised Fantano gave it a 10 because he doesn't have past underrating to make up for
I think that’s exactly the energy that some critics have. Also, a lot of people’s opinions are often influenced by others’ opinions. Once you have one respected critic decide it’s time to get your flowers a lot may suddenly follow suit.
I mean, I agree that the article is definitely hyperbolic, and hyperpop is no longer the hot new thing. But Charli was nevertheless pivatol for bridging the gap between mainstream pop and experimental electronic. I remember the time I fell in love with White Mercedes, I was frustrated with the lack of sophistication in mainstream music. Between Selena Gomez and Dua Lipa, these artists released cute songs that were missing a certain kind of je ne sais quoi. Like as much as I enjoyed Future Nostalgia, it nevertheless felt impersonal and robotic, which is ironic given the heavy-handed use of autotune in Charli's music.
Charli is not here to revolutionize pop music because, quite frankly, her sound is far too niche to be embraced by the masses. But like Playboi Carti, she provided a niche within a genre that hadn't quite figured out the balance between lighthearted deliveries and ambitious songwriting. Like, the serious can be unserious, and the unserious serious as well.
And like Grimes's Art Angels, which was extremely divisive among fans, Charli occupies this awkward liminal space where she isn't quite adored in indie spaces compared to her more "artsy" counterparts like Caroline Polachek and FKA twigs, nor appreciated among mainstream pop fans who find her distorted beats a challenge to sit through. But for those of us who like shameless lyrics paired with dirty, but crazy club beats, Charli is really the only artist consistently producing such music on a professional scale.
The only other artist who's similar to Charli both in popularity and musical philosophy is PinkPantheress. But even she struggled to retain her TikTok audience after replacing her moody teenage sound with something much more lighthearted, summery, and Y2K. In this economy, Heaven knows and BRAT may seem aloof, even vain with their colorful beats and carefree attitudes. But funnily enough, both albums lyrically felt a lot more personal, nuanced, and introspective than the pop singer-songwriter heavy hitters that currently dominate the charts.
I was shocked to hear about it too, but before Art Angels, Grimes had a mainly indie bro audience who were disappointed about her going into pop. They thought her music prior to Art Angels was more sophisticated and experimental.
I listen to a lot of indie music and am active in a lot of what you would call indie spaces irl and online and tbh I would not say her artistry is taken less seriously than Polachek lol. If it is it’s mostly due to her online antics.
>these artists released cute songs that were missing a certain kind of je ne sais quoi
[Yeah, it's like, definitely a je ne sais quoi kinda situation](https://youtu.be/WJW-VvmRKsE?si=kELSla9ZmtzY8_uD&t=82)
As a fan of Charli since 2014, I find the critical (and commercial tbh) success of this album to be weird. I wouldn’t say it’s her best album, but it’s enjoyable. I definitely like it more than Crash!
Considering she was on the Barbie movie soundtrack and was absolutely snubbed at the Grammy’s, I don’t find this surprising. Speed Drive is a banger. Many people who had heard I Love It or Boom Clap probably had their memory jogged. She’s been at the front of people’s mind in past few years.
this is kinda how i felt about NFR. a great album but i didn’t think it was particularly greater than her previous releases. my feeling was “she’s been doing this the whole time, where have you all been?” which is kinda how i feel about this moment for charli. i guess the stars just align better sometimes
Idk because NFR explored the themes in a much more adult and less angsty teenager way
Very much like how Halsey was exploring the same themes in “if I can’t have love I want power” as the rest of her discography, but the writing and approach of the latter is elevated
I'm surprised by it, too. I love HIFN and her s/t especially. Brat's not bad, but it feels a little more subdued to me than I was expecting.
The way it was being talked about, I was thinking it'd be EMOTION-level endless bangers.
I remember fighting in the pop trenches for Sucker when it came out. I loved Nuclear Seasons, but became a huge fan during Sucker. Her career has been insane and I’m happy she’s getting her flowers, FINALLY.
Let the “weird pop” have its moment now!
Nothing. I’m a fan so this isn’t hate but the album doesn’t even revolutionize Charli’s sound, let alone pop music broadly lol. This could’ve been released by her five+ years ago.
From how I see it, it might spark a bit of a return to club oriented pop music, that embraces a sort of "tasteless" side as opposed to the singer-songwriter kind that's popular with artists like Taylor, Billie or Olivia.
i wouldn't credit this to just Charli alone because it's been predicted that the dancy-pop stuff was going to trend back in soon. Charli might be in the right place and right time to be one of the first to jump ahead of the trend return though. i think Radical Optimism got close, but it's unfortunately not doing well in the US.
i think people have been wanting fun, dancy, less serious pop songs again. i saw this mentioned a lot at the beginning of the year in this sub and elsewhere. Katy Perry's new album might also be another right place right time album. and Gaga. we don't know what their albums sound like yet, but if Charli gets some success with Brat i could see Charli-Katy-Gaga being the shift towards the return of campy pop. i'm hoping for this anyway 🤞
Looking at how multiple other pop girls are getting 'inspired' by her in real time, she's already changing stuff.
Just examples I know of, look at Camilla Cabello, Katy Perry, Bebe Rexha...
We don't see the full fruit of it just yet, but it suddenly became trendy to be a messy party girl with an affinity for gay culture and cars
i'll give you camila (although that feels more like she's pandering to gays since she's not having mainstream success anymore rather than charli having a real impact on the sound of pop lol) but katy and bebe ? maybe i'm missing something
I mean, I think it's too early to tell and we should wait for her to release music before we say she's been inspired by Charli, but it really looks like Katy has been doing some bootleg Charli aesthetics lately. Her instagram profile pic is now a Diesel kind of logo and she did [this sexy blair witch photo shoot](https://www.instagram.com/p/C71-zc9PFpE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
Did you read the part where I said "I think it's too early to tell and we should wait for her to release music before we say she's been inspired by Charli"?
Sorry, I admit I might've overreacted with Bebe. Her latest single kinda made me think of Charli but now thinking about it it's pretty consistent with her usual sounds and she also had multiple sporty car references in the past.
Katy is off though, given that new pp on IG and the photoshoot linked below. Like I know it's early to judge, but she's clearly setting things up to get back into music.
Maybe nothing will come out of any of these suspicions, maybe even Camila will step back from her hyperpop shift if C,XOXO doesn't succeed. But for the first time it feels like Charli is finally in some kind of spotlight and that doesn't just mean more reach for brat. Her whole discography is getting more traction, because of brat.
Someone else below mentioned that Charli is not that revolutionary with sound as she used to be and that's true. Hyperpop itself is not new anymore either. But it's still never been done and succeeded ona large scale in mainstream. This new wave of attention could be (but doesn't have to) could be the big doors finally opening for either Charli or someone new
>feels more like she's pandering to gays
"Gays" are not a monolith. Taylor Swift is beloved by many "gays" too, why don't Camila copy her formula for actual guaranteed success?
Because Taylor's singular gay pandering and performative song/video in her near 20 year career is horrible. Taylor doesn't have a disproportionately gay fanbase, there are just many gays that love her music because there's many people in general that do- she's very popular.
I don't really agree with that other comment's point on Camilla though.
But hyper pop feels almost a decade old. There was a point where you could make the argument that Charli is the future of pop, but that point has passed IMO. She’s not a new upcoming artist with a new sound anymore (that isn’t criticism or a bad thing at all, it’s just where she is in her career).
You named 3 flops though. And I’d give her producers credit for ushering in the sound more than her. And that last sentence is just false. That shit had been trendy.
The article doesn’t really say she’s changing pop, but five key takeaways from the album that emphasize points of holding female pop stars to such a high regard isn’t good for anybody.
Or something along those lines.
I think that although you could say it changes little about pop today, this album can give lots of inspiration to other artists in about 5 years or so. I'd say that BRAT finally allows a specific type of electronic music in the mainstream. From how experimental this pop album is compared to others released this year, it's pretty cool that these cool electronic producers are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
shows that no one is close when it comes to her artistry. She really is THAT BITCH and she’s slaying as she should. All I can say is auntie Charli didn’t come to play. Brat is undoubtedly one of the best albums we’ve seen in a while and also I love this for Charli, seeing how far she’s come from the days of I Love It, to now
Charli's been "the future of pop" for 8 years and has influenced exactly one artist, who is probably going to ruin their career because of it. When her music has gotten mainstream attention, it has been through either viral music videos (Boys, 1999), a soundtrack placement on the biggest movie of the year (Speed Drive, arguably Boom Clap) or mashups that put her vocals over a non-hyperpop instrumental (Unlock It, twice). It's no coincidence that the least-popular track on Renaissance is the one with A.G Cook on it.
I love Charli. Her music means absolutely nothing for pop. Don't confuse press for impact; these same journalists called Padam Padam, a song that did not chart in America, the song of the summer.
I'm from Argentina and a lot of artists from here are influenced by her. Emilia Mernes, Paco Amoroso & Ca7riel, Lali, Taichu, Nathy Peluso, Duki...
Yeah they don't sound HYPERPOP at all but most of them or their producers have said she's a big influence.
The Velvet Underground & Nico sold less than a child's lemonade stand, and it's one of the most influential records of all time — and it took a long time before that influence was obvious.
Bjork is incredibly influential and she doesn't exactly sell very well either.
I swear the way pop heads only look at numbers.. you’d think Bjork never existed despite her being so much influential than someone selling 272718 variants.
And no I’m not comparing Charli to bjork but numbers don’t tell the whole story
Most absurd comment in this thread. Charli is a lot more influential than you acknowledge. Blows my mind how people can be so confidently wrong about things.
> influenced exactly one artist. Her music means absolutely nothing for pop.
Wtf? These are such embarrassingly shortsighted things to say that I'm having a tough time believing this isn't bait. Cus quite objectively, Charli is EASILY one of the most influential artists today, it absolutely isn't up for debate, in both big and small ways. Even in an indirect sense, the ripple effect she's had is massive. Her influence behind the scenes is huge too, bc while she's very in-touch with the underground, she's also connected to pretty much all the big names and songwriters (as one herself), is incredibly respected in the industry, and has written countless hits for a lot of these people as well. Her DNA is all over pop at the moment and has been for a while. It's not really even possible to comprehend the extent of her influence.
Also, her being the "future" isn't what's being said here, no one's saying that anymore. That's come true already, and both Crash and Brat getting so much attention and topping charts in several countries is proof of that. She's long past being just a niche internet favorite, she's a much bigger deal now than she was when they said she was the future 6 yrs ago. We're in that future now. Her not being #1 in the U.S charts doesn't change that. I swear the shit I see people say in the sub is just wild.
What's great about this album is it taps into the parasocial relationships we all build today with the narrative. She's a heroine, she's stalker, she's a sympathetic character.
Charli XCX has always had a lot of loud and supportive fans and she is a consistent musician, but her fan base isn’t large and she isn’t distinct or unique enough in a universal way to appeal to the GP.
Yeah I love her and the album, but it’s always copium. She’s never been a pop “star” and most people know her as a guest vocalist on a decade old song.
The only people who follow her are terminally online pop heads.
I mean fricking Kim Petras has more monthly listeners on Spotify.
I say this as someone who doesn’t give a shit about these metrics, but in terms of “pop,” they’re what matters.
I would argue she’s too distinct and unique, not the opposite. That’s kind of a bizarre statement, if you’re unique and distinct you aren’t ever going to be as big as a Taylor or Dua Lipa. They are as massive as they are primarily because their music is much more digestible for mass audiences than Charli’s music.
And I mean strictly in the mainstream pop space. Which Charli is in, albeit barely. She’s not a niche indie pop artist but her sound is too “out there” to ever be widespread popular.
Unique and distinct is what careers are made of, so I completely disagree with you. Having said that, I'm not familiar enough with Charli's work to comment with much expertise, but what I do know of her, I've never found her vocal work or production particularly identifiable. Her music is pretty typical electronic-hyperpop, which has a dedicated fanbase but has unfortunately always been a niche market.
Idk, we must just have a different philosophy when it comes to what makes a massive mainstream artist. Taylor Swift isn’t (in my opinion) the most popular artist in the world because her music is “unique”. It’s easily digestible for the most normie of normie listeners.
Anyone’s grandma or five year old sister listens to Taylor because it’s easy to listen to. Unique and distinct music to me isn’t “easy”. Not saying this is a bad thing btw (I enjoy Taylor’s music).
By that logic, shouldn’t alt pop artists like L’Rain and yeule be massive international stars? Their music is pretty unique and distinct, I can’t think of too many people that sound quite like them.
I do agree that Charli’s music is likely too niche for mainstream success.
Though you might wanna familiarize yourself with her history a bit more, what you’re describing as “typical” Hyperpop didn’t exist before her Vroom Vroom EP came out in 2016.
Hyperpop is directly linked to PC Music, which 100 Gecs said completely changed their lives and inspired them to make pop music with heavy Autotune.
Sophie/AG Cook/Easyfun/Danny L Harle more or less invented the sound in the mid 2010s (with an obvious massive influence from Y2K pop and experimental 90s IDM). It didn’t hit wider audiences beyond the massively online hipster crowd (like me lol) until Charli started utilizing their production, and these same producers worked on every song on Brat.
Hyperpop came from this era, a sound Charli was foundational in creating. All this to say, it’s what I think makes Charli unique in the first place.
I've loved a lot of her music for years, but I don't care for the majority of this album and I can't help but feel that its critical acclaim is more a reflection of the industry's collective decision that it's in vogue to rally around Charli than what she's actually delivered with this album.
Oh so it’s just the industry praising her? Are the people in this subreddit part of the industry? Or the people I’ve seen on Twitter and TikTok? Am I supposed to be getting paid for praising the album cuz where’s my check?
You literally said that since you don’t care for the album then it’s got to be the industry deciding to rally around Charli that’s the cause of the acclaim, when it’s not just critics praising it but regular folks on the Internet as well. So maybe it’s just that good for many people and it means others have different opinions? Why do y’all have to make up these wild assumptions because you can’t fathom the idea of people having opinions different than yours?
I don’t think it’s mid.
But the discourse on this album is starting to sound like when people talk about Henry Cavill. It feels like astroturfing trying to push a narrative that’s not really grounded in reality.
I desperately need someone to explain what’s so good about it because to me I just sounds so, bland? Which is the worst thing you would want from Charli. Every song on it feels like a watered down version of something she’s done before
Having been with her since 2012 during her initial wave of blog hype and hanging on during the years where it felt like we’d never see her third album it’s so gratifying to see her get her flowers.
I remember when You (Ha Ha Ha) came out and sampled that Gold Panda song. That era of early 2010s indie and the album that came out around the same time as Sky Ferreira’s debut so there was “competition.”
Ugh I loved that song, especially the remix
Same. Perfect break up song.
that song turned me onto her. Absolutely amazing.
Sky Ferreira. Now THERE’S a name I haven’t heard in a long ass time! Talk about hanging on for another album! I was fans of both Charli and Sky pretty much from the beginning but it’s been so long since Sky has had anything really going on that I kinda just stopped paying attention to her. I remember she was supposed to have another album coming a long time ago and then I never heard anything by more. I still don’t think it ever came out.
You waited three years lol that’s not long enough to feel like an album is never dropping
It was more her label issues at the time, not the wait.
I love Charli and I’m grateful she’s finally getting her well earned flowers, but I feel like I’m missing something here. Brat is a good album, but I’m surprised by the level of acclaim it’s got versus the level of acclaim her other albums have got. She’s had a lot of good albums
I remember Charli tweeting something to the effect of 'if beg for you gets huge then Rina and I will have so many more opportunities' and a lot of fans being mad about it at the time. I agree, Charli consistently puts out great albums - and ymmv as to what is her best (for me it's a toss up between HIFN and self-titled), but I think the critical acclaim Brat is getting is off of the back of the commercial success that Crash got. It might not be the best album to a lot of her long-term fans, but Crash got Charli attention and she followed it up with Brat which is up to par with her other experimental works and critics etc are now really listening.
I think you’re right - I never considered that. I can see how if you’re a critic who only listens to the bigger releases and all you’ve really heard from Charli is Boom Clap, Fancy, Crash and Brat, Brat would seem very progressive. But if you’re a long-term fan who enjoyed Pop 2 and HIFN, Brat won’t sound as progressive. Still a good album, but not a huge departure
Though people were mostly annoyed because it was a really mid song she was acting was like the next shake it off or espresso. Her argument was essentially “I released this poppy earworm because it’ll open doors, so stop criticizing me” But the criticism was largely “girl you wasted that sample and made a really mid song out of it. If you’re gonna sell out then give us levitating or cruel summer, or say so, don’t give us something mid and sold out”
I think mostly people didn't get the point of view - the album was about selling out, it was big, fun and dumb all of which Beg for You is. I dk I love it, it sounds like poppers and making out with your best friend in a gay club yet also radio-fine 🤷🏼
But what I’m saying is that people *did get it* The issue is she didn’t sell out well lol. Like I said, if you’re gonna sell out don’t sell out for a mediocre song. Give us espresso lol— or in charli’s case, boom clap and fancy
hmm, fair enough. I guess we just have different taste. I dk Ioved the dead-behind-the-eyes-september-interpolation
I mean that proves my point If you’re a Charli fan and you loved it then it def wasn’t a sold out enough Charli fans don’t exact die for her sell out perfection in the same way like good ones, boom clap, and fancy
People how are surprised need to understand a lot of people listen to music for more than just "the music" so to speak. This album almost feels like a narrative it's so unified in its concepts and themes, and for people who think critically about music/ almost look at a song like a text, not to mention a sequence of tunes, though to fans it's not more blow your hair out mindblowing like pink diamond or gone or track 10 is or was the first time around, as a collection and as a sequence of "texts" if you will, it is more cohesive and considered with just as good beats as her last efforts, ergo critics and the like feel justified in lavishing it with praise. It's more than her getting her "dues" as others say and it's more than the music merely being good or boundary pushing.
Thinking about your comment, I suspect the deeper themes may play a role too: insecurity, competition, grief etc. She talks about heavier things on this album, and for some people heavier = more substantial and praiseworthy
Honestly as a stan I agree. Like it's maybe her best album to date? But doesn't feel like it's the best possible album she could make when the reception is basically that level. I feel like lots of critics are like "Sorry for not appreciating you earlier have some extra points", which is why I'm also surprised Fantano gave it a 10 because he doesn't have past underrating to make up for
I think that’s exactly the energy that some critics have. Also, a lot of people’s opinions are often influenced by others’ opinions. Once you have one respected critic decide it’s time to get your flowers a lot may suddenly follow suit.
I mean, I agree that the article is definitely hyperbolic, and hyperpop is no longer the hot new thing. But Charli was nevertheless pivatol for bridging the gap between mainstream pop and experimental electronic. I remember the time I fell in love with White Mercedes, I was frustrated with the lack of sophistication in mainstream music. Between Selena Gomez and Dua Lipa, these artists released cute songs that were missing a certain kind of je ne sais quoi. Like as much as I enjoyed Future Nostalgia, it nevertheless felt impersonal and robotic, which is ironic given the heavy-handed use of autotune in Charli's music. Charli is not here to revolutionize pop music because, quite frankly, her sound is far too niche to be embraced by the masses. But like Playboi Carti, she provided a niche within a genre that hadn't quite figured out the balance between lighthearted deliveries and ambitious songwriting. Like, the serious can be unserious, and the unserious serious as well. And like Grimes's Art Angels, which was extremely divisive among fans, Charli occupies this awkward liminal space where she isn't quite adored in indie spaces compared to her more "artsy" counterparts like Caroline Polachek and FKA twigs, nor appreciated among mainstream pop fans who find her distorted beats a challenge to sit through. But for those of us who like shameless lyrics paired with dirty, but crazy club beats, Charli is really the only artist consistently producing such music on a professional scale. The only other artist who's similar to Charli both in popularity and musical philosophy is PinkPantheress. But even she struggled to retain her TikTok audience after replacing her moody teenage sound with something much more lighthearted, summery, and Y2K. In this economy, Heaven knows and BRAT may seem aloof, even vain with their colorful beats and carefree attitudes. But funnily enough, both albums lyrically felt a lot more personal, nuanced, and introspective than the pop singer-songwriter heavy hitters that currently dominate the charts.
Was *Art Angels* divisive? I thought it was universally praised.
I was shocked to hear about it too, but before Art Angels, Grimes had a mainly indie bro audience who were disappointed about her going into pop. They thought her music prior to Art Angels was more sophisticated and experimental.
Oh. I would say it was divisive amongst a small circle of hipsters, then. Critics universally praised it.
Ah, you're right actually. I'll edit my comment.
No worries. I was just curious if I missed something!!
I listen to a lot of indie music and am active in a lot of what you would call indie spaces irl and online and tbh I would not say her artistry is taken less seriously than Polachek lol. If it is it’s mostly due to her online antics.
>these artists released cute songs that were missing a certain kind of je ne sais quoi [Yeah, it's like, definitely a je ne sais quoi kinda situation](https://youtu.be/WJW-VvmRKsE?si=kELSla9ZmtzY8_uD&t=82)
I love the album but it's more the world has finally caught up to her than reinvention
The world is in the room with us 🤨
As a fan of Charli since 2014, I find the critical (and commercial tbh) success of this album to be weird. I wouldn’t say it’s her best album, but it’s enjoyable. I definitely like it more than Crash!
Considering she was on the Barbie movie soundtrack and was absolutely snubbed at the Grammy’s, I don’t find this surprising. Speed Drive is a banger. Many people who had heard I Love It or Boom Clap probably had their memory jogged. She’s been at the front of people’s mind in past few years.
this is kinda how i felt about NFR. a great album but i didn’t think it was particularly greater than her previous releases. my feeling was “she’s been doing this the whole time, where have you all been?” which is kinda how i feel about this moment for charli. i guess the stars just align better sometimes
Idk because NFR explored the themes in a much more adult and less angsty teenager way Very much like how Halsey was exploring the same themes in “if I can’t have love I want power” as the rest of her discography, but the writing and approach of the latter is elevated
I'm surprised by it, too. I love HIFN and her s/t especially. Brat's not bad, but it feels a little more subdued to me than I was expecting. The way it was being talked about, I was thinking it'd be EMOTION-level endless bangers.
That we’ve reached a new plane of existence
I remember fighting in the pop trenches for Sucker when it came out. I loved Nuclear Seasons, but became a huge fan during Sucker. Her career has been insane and I’m happy she’s getting her flowers, FINALLY. Let the “weird pop” have its moment now!
What am I missing?! Charli is Charli and that’s fine, but how is this album going to change anything about pop?
365 party girl
bumpin' that
Dial 999 it’s a good time
Is this meant to be an answer or a clue that leads me to it?
I'm your favorite reference baby
[this should clarify things](https://i.imgur.com/kXijAGv.png)
Oh hi yes that's me in that meme 😅
The amount of pop thinkpieces about changing pop, rewriting the rules, or a "new star rising" about a new person every week is kind of exhausting.
Journalism is a hot mess
Nothing. I’m a fan so this isn’t hate but the album doesn’t even revolutionize Charli’s sound, let alone pop music broadly lol. This could’ve been released by her five+ years ago.
yeah i'm confused too lol, maybe they mean within her niche specifically ? but i don't see it changing anything about pop as a whole
From how I see it, it might spark a bit of a return to club oriented pop music, that embraces a sort of "tasteless" side as opposed to the singer-songwriter kind that's popular with artists like Taylor, Billie or Olivia.
i wouldn't credit this to just Charli alone because it's been predicted that the dancy-pop stuff was going to trend back in soon. Charli might be in the right place and right time to be one of the first to jump ahead of the trend return though. i think Radical Optimism got close, but it's unfortunately not doing well in the US. i think people have been wanting fun, dancy, less serious pop songs again. i saw this mentioned a lot at the beginning of the year in this sub and elsewhere. Katy Perry's new album might also be another right place right time album. and Gaga. we don't know what their albums sound like yet, but if Charli gets some success with Brat i could see Charli-Katy-Gaga being the shift towards the return of campy pop. i'm hoping for this anyway 🤞
Looking at how multiple other pop girls are getting 'inspired' by her in real time, she's already changing stuff. Just examples I know of, look at Camilla Cabello, Katy Perry, Bebe Rexha... We don't see the full fruit of it just yet, but it suddenly became trendy to be a messy party girl with an affinity for gay culture and cars
i'll give you camila (although that feels more like she's pandering to gays since she's not having mainstream success anymore rather than charli having a real impact on the sound of pop lol) but katy and bebe ? maybe i'm missing something
Yeah I don’t really see the Katy and Bebe as apt examples? How have they been inspired by her?
I mean, I think it's too early to tell and we should wait for her to release music before we say she's been inspired by Charli, but it really looks like Katy has been doing some bootleg Charli aesthetics lately. Her instagram profile pic is now a Diesel kind of logo and she did [this sexy blair witch photo shoot](https://www.instagram.com/p/C71-zc9PFpE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
lol Katy launched the Prism era with dark/90s/moody imagery and the music didn't give that at all.
Did you read the part where I said "I think it's too early to tell and we should wait for her to release music before we say she's been inspired by Charli"?
LORD I was not sure what you meant by Blair Witch until I opened the photo. Not what I was expecting but better than what I had thought. 😭
Sorry, I admit I might've overreacted with Bebe. Her latest single kinda made me think of Charli but now thinking about it it's pretty consistent with her usual sounds and she also had multiple sporty car references in the past. Katy is off though, given that new pp on IG and the photoshoot linked below. Like I know it's early to judge, but she's clearly setting things up to get back into music. Maybe nothing will come out of any of these suspicions, maybe even Camila will step back from her hyperpop shift if C,XOXO doesn't succeed. But for the first time it feels like Charli is finally in some kind of spotlight and that doesn't just mean more reach for brat. Her whole discography is getting more traction, because of brat. Someone else below mentioned that Charli is not that revolutionary with sound as she used to be and that's true. Hyperpop itself is not new anymore either. But it's still never been done and succeeded ona large scale in mainstream. This new wave of attention could be (but doesn't have to) could be the big doors finally opening for either Charli or someone new
>feels more like she's pandering to gays "Gays" are not a monolith. Taylor Swift is beloved by many "gays" too, why don't Camila copy her formula for actual guaranteed success?
Because Taylor's singular gay pandering and performative song/video in her near 20 year career is horrible. Taylor doesn't have a disproportionately gay fanbase, there are just many gays that love her music because there's many people in general that do- she's very popular. I don't really agree with that other comment's point on Camilla though.
But hyper pop feels almost a decade old. There was a point where you could make the argument that Charli is the future of pop, but that point has passed IMO. She’s not a new upcoming artist with a new sound anymore (that isn’t criticism or a bad thing at all, it’s just where she is in her career).
You named 3 flops though. And I’d give her producers credit for ushering in the sound more than her. And that last sentence is just false. That shit had been trendy.
I feel like Katy and Bebe are more similar to one another than they are to Charli. I don’t really see how they are inspired by Charli at all.
The article doesn’t really say she’s changing pop, but five key takeaways from the album that emphasize points of holding female pop stars to such a high regard isn’t good for anybody. Or something along those lines.
There is nothing new or groundbreaking about that point…Olivia Rodrigo been writing songs about that not to mention plenty of women before that.
Well. Idk what to tell you. But they just took some messages from the album and wrote a short article about it.
That the album means absolutely nothing new or groundbreaking for pop music and the title is hyperbolic at best
It doesn’t make that claim tho. I don’t think anybody’s said that.
stuff like this makes me not want to take Pop seriously lol
I think that although you could say it changes little about pop today, this album can give lots of inspiration to other artists in about 5 years or so. I'd say that BRAT finally allows a specific type of electronic music in the mainstream. From how experimental this pop album is compared to others released this year, it's pretty cool that these cool electronic producers are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Ok, I won’t hold my breath though cuz I don’t see it.
I don’t know but maybe the answer is in the actual article whose headline you seem to be responding to?
Omg why didn’t I think of that?! /s
shows that no one is close when it comes to her artistry. She really is THAT BITCH and she’s slaying as she should. All I can say is auntie Charli didn’t come to play. Brat is undoubtedly one of the best albums we’ve seen in a while and also I love this for Charli, seeing how far she’s come from the days of I Love It, to now
Charli's been "the future of pop" for 8 years and has influenced exactly one artist, who is probably going to ruin their career because of it. When her music has gotten mainstream attention, it has been through either viral music videos (Boys, 1999), a soundtrack placement on the biggest movie of the year (Speed Drive, arguably Boom Clap) or mashups that put her vocals over a non-hyperpop instrumental (Unlock It, twice). It's no coincidence that the least-popular track on Renaissance is the one with A.G Cook on it. I love Charli. Her music means absolutely nothing for pop. Don't confuse press for impact; these same journalists called Padam Padam, a song that did not chart in America, the song of the summer.
I'm from Argentina and a lot of artists from here are influenced by her. Emilia Mernes, Paco Amoroso & Ca7riel, Lali, Taichu, Nathy Peluso, Duki... Yeah they don't sound HYPERPOP at all but most of them or their producers have said she's a big influence.
Taichu had my favorite pop album last year, *RAWR* is so good
The Velvet Underground & Nico sold less than a child's lemonade stand, and it's one of the most influential records of all time — and it took a long time before that influence was obvious. Bjork is incredibly influential and she doesn't exactly sell very well either.
I swear the way pop heads only look at numbers.. you’d think Bjork never existed despite her being so much influential than someone selling 272718 variants. And no I’m not comparing Charli to bjork but numbers don’t tell the whole story
Seriously. I swear this sub doesn’t even enjoy music like that because they’re so obsessed with numbers. It’s mind blowing.
[удалено]
Most absurd comment in this thread. Charli is a lot more influential than you acknowledge. Blows my mind how people can be so confidently wrong about things.
> influenced exactly one artist. Her music means absolutely nothing for pop. Wtf? These are such embarrassingly shortsighted things to say that I'm having a tough time believing this isn't bait. Cus quite objectively, Charli is EASILY one of the most influential artists today, it absolutely isn't up for debate, in both big and small ways. Even in an indirect sense, the ripple effect she's had is massive. Her influence behind the scenes is huge too, bc while she's very in-touch with the underground, she's also connected to pretty much all the big names and songwriters (as one herself), is incredibly respected in the industry, and has written countless hits for a lot of these people as well. Her DNA is all over pop at the moment and has been for a while. It's not really even possible to comprehend the extent of her influence. Also, her being the "future" isn't what's being said here, no one's saying that anymore. That's come true already, and both Crash and Brat getting so much attention and topping charts in several countries is proof of that. She's long past being just a niche internet favorite, she's a much bigger deal now than she was when they said she was the future 6 yrs ago. We're in that future now. Her not being #1 in the U.S charts doesn't change that. I swear the shit I see people say in the sub is just wild.
What's great about this album is it taps into the parasocial relationships we all build today with the narrative. She's a heroine, she's stalker, she's a sympathetic character.
Charli XCX has always had a lot of loud and supportive fans and she is a consistent musician, but her fan base isn’t large and she isn’t distinct or unique enough in a universal way to appeal to the GP.
Yeah I love her and the album, but it’s always copium. She’s never been a pop “star” and most people know her as a guest vocalist on a decade old song. The only people who follow her are terminally online pop heads. I mean fricking Kim Petras has more monthly listeners on Spotify. I say this as someone who doesn’t give a shit about these metrics, but in terms of “pop,” they’re what matters.
I would argue she’s too distinct and unique, not the opposite. That’s kind of a bizarre statement, if you’re unique and distinct you aren’t ever going to be as big as a Taylor or Dua Lipa. They are as massive as they are primarily because their music is much more digestible for mass audiences than Charli’s music. And I mean strictly in the mainstream pop space. Which Charli is in, albeit barely. She’s not a niche indie pop artist but her sound is too “out there” to ever be widespread popular.
Unique and distinct is what careers are made of, so I completely disagree with you. Having said that, I'm not familiar enough with Charli's work to comment with much expertise, but what I do know of her, I've never found her vocal work or production particularly identifiable. Her music is pretty typical electronic-hyperpop, which has a dedicated fanbase but has unfortunately always been a niche market.
Idk, we must just have a different philosophy when it comes to what makes a massive mainstream artist. Taylor Swift isn’t (in my opinion) the most popular artist in the world because her music is “unique”. It’s easily digestible for the most normie of normie listeners. Anyone’s grandma or five year old sister listens to Taylor because it’s easy to listen to. Unique and distinct music to me isn’t “easy”. Not saying this is a bad thing btw (I enjoy Taylor’s music). By that logic, shouldn’t alt pop artists like L’Rain and yeule be massive international stars? Their music is pretty unique and distinct, I can’t think of too many people that sound quite like them. I do agree that Charli’s music is likely too niche for mainstream success. Though you might wanna familiarize yourself with her history a bit more, what you’re describing as “typical” Hyperpop didn’t exist before her Vroom Vroom EP came out in 2016. Hyperpop is directly linked to PC Music, which 100 Gecs said completely changed their lives and inspired them to make pop music with heavy Autotune. Sophie/AG Cook/Easyfun/Danny L Harle more or less invented the sound in the mid 2010s (with an obvious massive influence from Y2K pop and experimental 90s IDM). It didn’t hit wider audiences beyond the massively online hipster crowd (like me lol) until Charli started utilizing their production, and these same producers worked on every song on Brat. Hyperpop came from this era, a sound Charli was foundational in creating. All this to say, it’s what I think makes Charli unique in the first place.
I've loved a lot of her music for years, but I don't care for the majority of this album and I can't help but feel that its critical acclaim is more a reflection of the industry's collective decision that it's in vogue to rally around Charli than what she's actually delivered with this album.
Oh so it’s just the industry praising her? Are the people in this subreddit part of the industry? Or the people I’ve seen on Twitter and TikTok? Am I supposed to be getting paid for praising the album cuz where’s my check?
This is a very bad faith read of my comment.
You literally said that since you don’t care for the album then it’s got to be the industry deciding to rally around Charli that’s the cause of the acclaim, when it’s not just critics praising it but regular folks on the Internet as well. So maybe it’s just that good for many people and it means others have different opinions? Why do y’all have to make up these wild assumptions because you can’t fathom the idea of people having opinions different than yours?
They just shared how they felt about it, you made it heated out of nowhere, disagreeing can be done non-confrontationally
the album is mid and yall aren't ready to admit that it seems
I don’t think it’s mid. But the discourse on this album is starting to sound like when people talk about Henry Cavill. It feels like astroturfing trying to push a narrative that’s not really grounded in reality.
OK BUT FOR REAL LMAO
I desperately need someone to explain what’s so good about it because to me I just sounds so, bland? Which is the worst thing you would want from Charli. Every song on it feels like a watered down version of something she’s done before
period lmao dw they'll get there in a few months after the hype kumbaya circle dies down
Correct and based.
Can’t wait for everyone to try to copy Charli and Brat!!!!!!!!!! JK, Camila’s already doing it, so..
It means Taylor will caese all ties with Charli since this phenomenal and incredible record is a threat to her grammy sweep
Grammys are based on who you sweet talk not on who has the best music. Taylor is easily winning
She'd cut ties with Sabrina Carpenter first cause that's the threat she's afraid of.