Following the release of Charli XCX’s sixth studio album “Brat”, social media has been flooded with bright lime green and the arial font. After 16 years in the music industry, Charli XCX is being rewarded by listeners and critics alike for bringing the return of indie-sleeze trashy fun pop when in recent years the market has been dominated by melancholy pop.

One of the key things that has made Brat such a hit with many different audiences is its stellar production. Not only is it good technically, as Charli XCX is known for, but also palatable for new fans with obvious mainstream pop influences while still sticking to Charli XCX’s recognizable style. 

Songs like “Talk talk” and “Apple” are the best examples of this. Brat has something for everyone with slower, more lyric based songs, like “So I” and “I might say something stupid,” for people who are more interested in existential dread rather than partying.

While Charli XCX’s lyrics are not something she is known for, the lyrics in brat are well-written and successful in conveying the many sensitive topics, like grief, insecurity, and generational trauma, that Charli XCX crams into the album’s 49 minute play-time. Like in Brat’s most emotional song “So I” where she sings the lyric, “When I’m on stage sometimes I lie Say that I like singing these songs you left behind,” about her grief over a dead friend. However, Charli XCX didn’t just provide us deep, vulnerable lyrics but also iconic lines that have become highly associated with “Brat summer” like, “I’m everywhere, I’m so julia.”

Charli XCX has gone beyond just making a quality album but also making a memorable album with cultural staying power. Brat has been so universally appealing and well received that it’s gone beyond its target audience and reached tens of millions of people through social media. When people look back on the summer of 2024 they will think of “Brat summer.”