Brat and it's completely different but also still brat
When BRAT first dropped, I never imagined it would blow up the way it did. In just a few months, Charli basically took over the pop world, and the internet was obsessed with every part of the album. But what really made it stand out wasn’t just the music—it was how Charli kept the momentum going with remixes featuring some huge artists. BRAT started to feel less like an album and more like a movement, which is rare for pop albums these days. It’s one of the few trends I’ve fully been on board with because Charli really knew what she was doing. That’s why I had such high hopes for this next installment in the BRAT saga. But, honestly, it kind of fell flat.
I’ll admit, though, the concept is cool. It’s BRAT but not BRAT, you know? Each song is supposed to feel completely different from the original because the collaborators are steering the ship this time. And, in theory, that sounds awesome. On some tracks, it actually works—like the remix of “Girl, so confusing” with Lorde. Lorde brings this raw vulnerability, almost flipping the script on Charli’s original take. The Billie Eilish remix of “Guess” also caught me off guard in the best way. Their chemistry on the track is just magic. And then there’s the Bladee remix of “Rewind,” which I was excited about just because, well, Bladee and Charli together? 🙌. When it works, it’s super interesting to see these artists reimagine songs that already had a solid identity.
But not everything hits the same way. A lot of the remixes just don’t live up to the originals, making them forgettable. It almost feels like a “what if?” experiment that never fully lands, like they just tweaked the mix without bringing anything new to the table. Tracks like “Apple,” “B2b,” and especially whatever that “Club Classics” remix was, all feel undercooked. I had high hopes for the “Mean Girls” remix with Julian Casablancas, but it was a mess. If you’ve heard his new stuff with The Voidz, you’ll know Julian should stay far away from autotune. And even though the sound fits a bit better here, his vocals are still so forced, it just kills the vibe. Same goes for Bon Iver’s remix of “I think about it all the time”—it’s pretty, sure, but man, is it a snoozefest. The 1975 remix of “I Might Say Something Stupid” is another one that missed for me. They took a one-minute song and stretched it to four for no reason. Matty Healy’s dramatic piano didn’t need to be our problem.
At the end of the day, I guess it’s fine. There are some fun reimaginings, like “Sympathy Is A Knife” with Ariana Grande, “Everything Is Romanic” with Caroline Polachek, and “Talk Talk” with Troye Sivan. Those were cool, especially with the big names attached. But overall, it feels like it’s living in the shadow of the original BRAT album. I get what Charli was going for, and it’s an interesting take for sure, but it doesn’t quite match up to the greatness of the first round.
CHARLI XCX - BRAT AND IT’S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BUT ALSO BRAT
RATING - 7.3/10
FAVORITE TRACKS - Girl, so confusing
GENRE - Dance/Edm, Club, Pop, Uk Rnb