- Charli XCX is back with a brand new album
- The singer released Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat on October 11 – a remix album of her record from this summer
- While critics gave the effort five stars, fans took to Twitter/X to voice their opinions
She’s the artist who gave us Brat summer.
And now Charli XCX is back with new music.
The British singer, 32, released Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat on October 11 – a remix album of her latest record, which was released in June.
And although most of the tracks have only been out for a few hours, critics have praised Charli’s newest effort.
Rating it five stars, The Guardian wrote, “In one sense, this is a victory lap: Charli is a self-proclaimed party girl and judging by the guest list (other collaborators include Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan and the 1975) this transcendently fun and cool collection is the year’s hottest ticket.
“In another, however, it’s a glimpse into celebrity’s heart of darkness. Having all your dreams come true is famously not all it’s cracked up to be – but, for the sake of pop music’s progress, it’s a good job Charli xcx got the chance to find out for herself.”
Variety agreed. In their four-star review, the outlet said, “Most remix albums are pasted-together and inconsistent; many of the best are dance parties. But Brat and It’s Completely Different is more of an alternate-universe reimagining of the original album, and Charli’s wide-ranging galaxy of collaborators not only show not the scope and versatility of her talent, but the respect she commands.”
‘Melancholic and sublime!’
While the brilliant reviews were sure to please Charli – real name Charlotte Aitchison – it’s the fan reaction she was most looking forward to.
And followers of the star weren’t disappointed.
Several took to Twitter/X to share their thoughts.
“I love the remix album. She takes the loneliness of Brat much further, in a more obvious way. That early-30s feeling of being on the treadmill of life and never quite knowing where you belong or what you want as your youth slowly disappears. Melancholic and sublime!,” wrote one.
Another added, “If Brat is meant to capture the experience of a raucous night out the remix album is definitely the wistful moment when the party ends and you’re on the way home lamenting going back to real life.”
With some branding her remix of Girl, So Confusing with Lorde the “highlight of the album”, others claimed the tracks were “a REAL remix album” and begged “these other rent-a-remix girls to take notes”.
“Love how the Brat remix album is a journey about the perils of finally making it big and weighing the feelings of joy, sadness, fear etc. that come with knowing your life will never be the same again,” commented someone else. “It’s actually so sad, which is what I love. Omg it’s the essence of dance music – every possible feeling in the world can be captured by some thumping beats.”
“AMAZING!” exclaimed another. “Very different to what I imagined it to be but I’m not disappointed at all. I really see why Charli waited so long to release this. This album is sonically quite different to Brat and doesn’t have the same summer energy as the original album. So releasing it in October was a very smart choice.”
Others called it “the best remix album ever”, while others called out Charli’s newer fans for not appreciating her creativity.
“Mean Girls ft Julian Casablancas being in the top two best tracks from the Brat remix album, but it’s not for the uncultured fans who lack intellectual perspective to understand the depth of its implications,” said one.
Another concluded, “It’s going to be so funny tonight seeing basic pop stans react to Brat completely different and realize that Charli is in fact an experimental pop artist and that she didn’t care to make this album more accessible and friendly for her new listeners. We are so back.
“I mean what other big pop star is referencing Mike Skinner, Justice, Uffie, Peaches and SOPHIE with their sound? And has Gaspar Noé, Harmony Korine and Gregg Araki films on their moodboard?”
