From Brat Summer to Bratumn

In Tune is The NewsHouse’s weekly album review. Contributors Sarah Dorval and Annie Labarca cover new releases across genres.

The changing seasons may mark the end of “Brat Summer,” but it is certainly not the end of Brat. On October 11, British singer Charli XCX released a remix album titled Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, ushering in a new era fondly referred to as “Bratumn” (or Brat Autumn). The 34-track, 2-disc album includes features from artists across a variety of genres, including but not limited to Ariana Grande, A.G. Cook, The 1975, Lorde and Bon Iver.

Immediately, Charli XCX comes in strong with her second track, “Club classics featuring bb trickz,” showing off her more electronic sound. Unlike some of her others on the album, this song is definitely what you think of when you hear the word “remix.” The upbeat track, addicting beat, and unique use of sampling give this song the perfect club sound. “Club classics” features a portion of “365,” another of Charli XCX’s songs on Brat. She sings, “When I go to the club I wanna hear those club classics,” so it’s only fitting that she should sample “365,” dubbing it a club classic herself.

While Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat is commonly referred to as a remix album, Charli XCX challenges the idea of what a remix typically is. The featured artists are not just contributing a new verse to her songs; the songs themselves are completely reimagined. “Remix” does not always mean fast, electronic music — as exemplified in her seventh track, “Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek.” In this Charli XCX keeps much of the song’s original melody; however, her perspective changes. In this track, she now questions, “Am I in a slump? / Am I paying back time? / Did I lose my perspective? / Everything’s still romantic right?” contrasting the certainty she once had about the beauty of the little things on the original version of the song. This underlying sadness is present in many of the remixed tracks, furthering the shift away from the party vibes of Brat Summer into the darker energy of Brat Autumn.

That’s not to say that Charli XCX completely leaves electronic music behind. Many of the album’s songs incorporate this style, notably her penultimate track, “365 featuring shygirl.” This remix first debuted in July during Charli XCX’s Boiler Room set in Ibiza, and fans have been waiting less than patiently for its release ever since. Shygirl is able to match the energy of this song perfectly, which is perhaps what makes the collaboration so successful. My only qualm with this track is that it’s just not long enough at only 2 minutes.

While this new version of the Brat album features plenty of hits, it seems to be most popular among longtime fans of Charli’s work rather than those attracted to her more mainstream songs. It’s almost as if the brand and the culture she established with the original Brat is driving the album’s success more than the remixes themselves. Whatever the reason, Charli XCX’s reimagining of Brat signals the end of an era for Brat Summer, but it seamlessly establishes her presence in the fall.

You can listen to Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat today on all streaming services.