Charli XCX - "BRAT" (2024)

As promised, here's what I think of BRAT. Like many others, my experience of Charli XCX was mostly her smash hits of the early to mid 2010s - the likes of I Love It, Boom Clap and her feature on Iggy Azalea's Fancy. However by the time of 2016's Vroom Vroom EP, Charli started shifting into the emerging genres of hyperpop and bubblegum bass, a much more subversive and less commercial sound. Coincidentally the EPs title track is probably the last time I remember a Charli XCX song having a significant pop-culture presence. Pretty much everything Charli put out following this creative shift has gained huge amounts of critical acclaim, but never really captured the pop-culture attention that some of those early songs did. It's a sentiment I can certainly understand, as while I would occasionally hear some of the newer singles on the radio (and enjoyed them well enough), I never felt compelled to check out the records despite them consistently making year end lists.

What was different about BRAT (bar the effective marketing with the lime green aesthetic and 'x is brat' memes), is that the singles did compel me to check out the full thing. They weren't just somewhat edgy pop songs, they had depth and heart that fitted into a wider narrative that's presented on the album. Charli is being open and vulnerable on these songs and I think that is what has connected with me and many others. BRAT at its core is a record about the transitional period of your mid to late 20s, where you can feel yourself growing and maturing, but still not ready to let go of the adventures and chaos of youth. In Charli's case, it is framed around her competing desires to be a part of the hedonistic party scene that she grew up a part of (and has made a big part of her stage persona) and a longing to have an identity (and legacy) beyond that.

The album opens with 360, which almost serves as pres music for a big night out. Lyrics centre around looking in the mirror and hyping yourself up. The repeated synth riff of the song also becomes a bit of a motif that reoccurs later on in the record. This leads into Club classics, which is a straight up club banger. The booming bass and skittering synth lines, alongside Charli's lyrics about wanting to party with her friends to the 'club classics' make it a perfect party tune. Sympathy is a knife is the first time the record really delves into something deeper. The song is not so subtly about Charli's relationship with Taylor Swift and how their interactions have made Charli feel. But it isn't really a diss track, as Charli is more reflective on how her own insecurities are shaping her perception of Taylor, and how it's more coming from her as opposed to Taylor slighting her in some way. The song has a soaring hook (one of the catchiest on the record) searing synths and a skittering drum beat, creating a very high stakes tension to the song that really pays of. Its definitely one of my favourites of the record.

I might say something stupid slows it down and brings some quite raw and intimate lyrics where Charli is vulnerable about her insecurities regarding her level of fame and how she feels "one foot in a normal life", not quite belonging in the celebrity world but also at a level of fame where she doesn't feel like she belongs in a normal life either. Midpoint Everything is romantic hits similar vibes, as Charli repetitively lists off mundane, day to day items and experiences and romanticises them against a very rigid drum beat and contrasting cinematic strings. Talk talk and Von dutch sit in between these tow tracks and bring back the feel good party vibes. Talk talk is a sensual piece of synth pop, and Von dutch goes hard with it's throbbing base and whining synth lines. The lyrics centre around tearing down someone who is obsessively jealous of Charli. It has a huge It Girl, 'no fucks given' vibe to it.

The back half of the record is not quite as strong in my opinion, but has some real highlights on it. Rewind recycles and permutates the 360 motif, and while I get what it's trying to achieve by using the same musical ideas to emphasise it's themes of wanting to go back to the start, reminiscing on the past and trying to undo your imperfections, I don't find this version of the 360 beat nearly as engaging. From a lyrical front, So I is a beautiful ballad dedicated to the late hyperpop pioneer and Charli's friend, SOPHIE. It is heart wrenchingly vulnerable and touching. But on a musical front the song is by far the safest on the record, and feels rather plain compared to the rest of what's on offer. B2b is an atmospheric club track with minimal lyrics, but I can say it's something I'm excited to get to when listening through the album.

However the best parts of the second half are so good! Starting with Girl, so confusing. Much like Sympathy is a knife, the track deep dives into Charli's relationship with another pop star, this time being Lorde. However, the angle here is much more about Charli trying to reach out to Lorde and be open about a perceived miss-match and misunderstandings between the two because she really respects her and wants their relationship to grow. (As a result Lorde featured on the even better remix where she is equally candid and vulnerable). Apple has grown on me massively since first listen, as it's a very catchy synth pop jam with a great analogy about generational trauma being an apple rotten right to the core. Mean girls acts a sort of last hurrah for the party girl vibes from earlier on in the record as Charli describes the party girl / It Girl archetype with such allure against a throbbing house beat and skittering jazzy keyboards.

The record closes with the duo of I think about it all the time and 365. I think about it all the time strips the song back to basically just a drum beat and a few low key synths as Charli discusses meeting up with her friends who just had a baby and how that has caused her to reflect on whether she wants a child, her own biological clock and the career sacrifices she might have to make if she chooses to start a family. 365 brings everything full circle and remixes the 360 beat with a fresh set of lyrics primarily focused around drug usage. While I get what what Charli has done placing it as the closer to the record, essentially saying that while she's having these desires to move away from the party scene, she's still not ready to leave it behind quite yet; it does kind of lessen the impact of the arc of the record, especially I think about it all the time.

BRAT has the majority of the best pop songs I've heard this year on it and all wrapped up in an incredibly tight and thematically complete record. There are a couple of moments where I thought it could've been a little more daring but every song on here is at the very least really good and well worth your time. I would also recommend checking out the remix album as well, as much like the Lorde remix of Girl, so confusing, the tracks are more than just remixes - they are further extensions and reinterpretations of the themes of the original tracks.

Top Tracks: 360, Club classics, Sympathy is a knife, I might say something stupid, Talk talk, Von dutch, Everything is romantic, Girl, so confusing, Apple, Mean girls, I think about it all the time, 365

8/10

Magdalena Bay - "Imaginal Disk" (2024)

I've got to thank Tiktok for this one. I knew absolutely nothing about the synth pop duo prior to the release of this record (their second), and immediately upon release my Tiktok was filled up with videos claiming it to be the best record of the year. And as I have been on a bit of a pop-girl kick this year (BRAT review will be coming at some point, and maybe a few others if I get time), I decided to check this out. I am so glad I did, as I can totally see where all those Tiktoks were coming from and it probably would've been my favourite record this year if the new Cure album that has just come out didn't turn out as well as it has.

The sound of Imaginal Disk is a kaleidoscopic collage of early 00's synth pop and dance pop, indietronica, psych pop and progressive pop, and even a bit of chillwave and late 90's female singer/songwriters. It is such a tightly written and amazingly produced record. Every track has so much attention to detail, little quirks, and leftfield switch-ups or unique progressions that makes the record envelop you, as you get lost in the sound. The tracks seamlessly flow into each other, making the album feel like a real cinematic journey over its 53min runtime.

Lyrically and thematically, the record is just as ambitious, exploring the ideas of an idealised 'perfect' sense of self and struggle between chasing the idea that we have to be perfect to be happy (or to please others) and forging your own unique path where you can be fulfilled without fitting neatly into a predefined box. Going hand in hand with this is a lot of lyrical focus on the difficulty discerning between 'true love' and love and companionship out of convivence and comfort and whether the former is actually real and obtainable, and the latter inauthentic and ultimately unfulfilling. These ideas are left open ended, which I think really adds to the experience of the record as if its almost trying to get you to ponder these concepts yourself as opposed to just throwing them at you as a definitive worldview. They're also not really obvious on first listen, rather layered into the subtext, which is giving the record huge replay value for me.

The first leg of the record is phenomenal, opening with building opener She Looked Like Me!. The first half of the song builds up with glitchy synths and booming drums, before switching up into a tension building second half with triumphant horns. The lyrics depict a strange encounter with the protagonists doppleganger, and the existential reflection on ones own uniqueness and identity. This leads into the woozy and groovy Killing Time, which explores the themes of 'killing time' and constantly putting of dreams and waiting for the ideal moment. The dreamy Enya-sounding True Blue Interlude segues this into the album's lead single, Image. The song is an absolute banger of an alt-dance tune with an infectious groove and Mica Tenebaum's silky smooth vocals gliding above the beat. "Ooooh my God, Make me in your image" is the leading hook and damn it sounds so sexy. Death & Romance follows straight after and somehow tops Image. The house-esque staccato piano hits, spacy synths and Mica's vocals sounding like Kylie give the song a very 00s dance-pop feel. The track just keeps ascending and ascending to this euphoric place - which juxtaposes the ecstatic feel against some quite heavy lyrics pondering whether there is anything more to life beyond the songs title. This run comes to a close with Fear, Sex, which serves as an outro to Death & Romance that unwinds the beat and reworks it into something more sinister as the driving forces of death and romance are presented under a different light - being fear and sex.

Other highlights include the sombre and sprawling ballad, Watching T.V. (a track about the prevailing fear during the 2000's that watching too much T.V is mentally damaging and also the idea of losing yourself in the screen while avoiding reality) and the epic Tunnel Vision. The song starts out as quite a stripped back synth pop song with chiming synths, before the protagonist realises that they are developing tunnel vision in their life and that they need to get out. At this point the song flips on its head for a hypnotic space rock outro. The thick, heavy base and skittering, lazer-like effects sound so sinister and menacing. This is followed by the super light and breezy synth funk jam, Love Is Everywhere, a perfect antidote to the darker middle section of the record of the record that has preceded it. The bombastic dance pop vibes return with the very in your face That's My Floor, a track all about taking life by the scruff of it's neck and making it your dancefloor. It's kinda garish but in the best way, with a sitar middle section and a scratchy funk-rock guitar outro. Similarly, Cry for Me is a straight up throwback to the groovey Nu-Disco of the early 00's and is great fun.

The record closes with Angel on a Satellite and The Ballad of Matt & Mica. Angel on a Satellite strips out all the synths for an approach akin to late 90's pop-leaning singer / songwriters. The song is a nice change of pace for the record and really highlights the emotionality of the lyrics of trying to forge your own path against the metaphysical will of an 'angel on a satellite' above you. All of the records themes are tied up and brought into the real world with The Ballad of Matt & Mica, a joyous ode to the duo, their friendship and their pursuit of the dreams over a pre-determined 'easy life'.

What I truely admire about Imaginal Disk, is that as heavy and thoughtful the lyrics and themes of the record, it is so thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting. Literally every time I put it on, I come away in a better mood than when I started. That is on top of how intricate and well constructed it is, alongside that it is damn catchy. I'm so glad that I've been turned onto Magdalena Bay because this album is such a refreshing and unique experience.

Top Tracks: She Looked Like Me!, Killing Time, True Blue Interlude, Image, Death & Romance, Fear, Sex, Watching T.V., Tunnel Vision, Love Is Everywhere, That's My Floor, Cry For Me, Angel on a Satellite, The Ballad of Matt & Mica.

9/10