If you were online at all during the tail end of 2024, you probably remember the lime-green fever dream that was the Brat era. It was everywhere. It was inescapable. But for a certain subset of music nerds—the ones who spent their 2000s wearing skinny jeans and worshipping at the altar of Is This It—one specific notification hit different.
Charli XCX and Julian Casablancas on a track together.
Honestly, it sounded like a Mad Libs generator for "coolest people in the room." You’ve got the reigning queen of hyperpop and the guy who basically invented the modern indie-rock frontman persona. It was the "Mean girls" remix, and when it dropped as part of Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, it didn't just meet expectations. It kinda broke them.
The Remix That Nobody (and Everyone) Saw Coming
Let’s be real: Julian Casablancas isn't exactly known for jumping on pop remixes for the hell of it. The man is notoriously picky. He spends most of his time now with The Voidz, making music that sounds like a radio station from a dystopian future. So, when Charli announced he’d be on the "Mean girls" remix, people lost it.
The original "Mean girls" was already a standout on Brat. It’s a tribute to a very specific kind of chaotic, "it-girl" energy—the girls who "keep the secrets" and "talk really fast." It felt like a song Julian could’ve written in 2001, just with a lot more synth.
When the remix actually landed on October 11, 2024, it wasn't a standard "pop star sings a verse, rock star sings a verse" situation. It was way weirder. It starts with this frantic, high-pitched piano intro that wasn't in the original. Then Julian comes in with that signature, heavily filtered, "I'm-singing-through-a-broken-walkie-talkie" voice.
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Some fans loved the whiplash. Others? Not so much. A lot of people on Reddit's r/TheStrokes and r/charlixcx were arguing about whether it was genius or just a mess. One critic from Hearing Aid Magazine even called it a "collaboration wanted but not needed," arguing that the original was a party anthem while the remix felt like "trying not to cry on the dance floor."
Why This Pair-Up Actually Makes Sense
On paper, they’re opposites. Charli is the pinnacle of modern, polished-but-messy pop stardom. Julian is the ultimate "I don't care" rock legend. But if you look closer, they’re basically the same person in different fonts.
Both of them have this weird relationship with being "mainstream." Charli spent years making massive hits for other people before deciding she’d rather just make weird club music. Julian did the same thing—he became a global superstar with The Strokes and then spent the next twenty years trying to sabotage that fame by making increasingly difficult, experimental records.
When Julian talked to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show around the time the remix dropped, he looked exactly like you’d expect: bleached hair, a cut-up red glove, and a vibe that suggested he’d just woken up in a dumpster (in a cool way). He talked about the Brat remix almost like it was a side mission. He’s always been about the "vibe" over the "brand," and Charli’s Brat era was all about vibe.
The Musical Breakdown: What Changed?
If you haven't listened to the remix in a while, go back and pay attention to the structure. It’s a fascinating look at how two different creative minds collide.
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- The Intro: The remix adds a chaotic piano line right at the start. It’s sharp, jarring, and sets a much more anxious tone than the original’s steady build.
- The Lyrics: Julian adds these lines about "not understanding" and "following the rules." It turns the song from a celebration of mean girls into a weirdly vulnerable confession. He sounds like the guy who got his heart broken by the girl Charli is singing about.
- The Production: The track switches between Charli’s party chants and Julian’s robotic, Auto-Tuned crooning. It’s disorienting. It’s meant to be.
The "Brat" Effect on Julian's Legacy
By 2025, it became clear that Charli XCX didn't just give Julian a guest spot; she gave him a bridge to a whole new generation.
Before the remix, a lot of younger fans only knew Julian as "that guy from the band my dad likes." Suddenly, he was part of the Brat cinematic universe alongside Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Ariana Grande. It was a genius move on Charli's part. She’s always been a student of cool, and she knew that bringing in the guy who defined "cool" for the Millennials would give her album a certain weight.
Julian, for his part, seemed to actually enjoy it. In an interview with PAPER Magazine, he mentioned how he often feels like he's "in the trenches" with his own music, barely understanding what he's working on until it's done. Joining the Brat train was probably the first time in years he just got to be a part of something that was already a massive success without having to carry the weight of it himself.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Collaboration
A lot of people think this was a label-driven "industry" move. You know the type—where two managers get in a room and decide to swap fanbases.
But if you’ve followed Charli’s career, you know she doesn't work like that. She’s been a fan of the 2000s indie-sleaze aesthetic for a long time. She was at the Storm King Arts Center listening party in New York telling people, "This one really pops the f*** out, seriously, it’s cool," while introducing the Julian track. You can tell she was genuinely geeking out.
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And Julian? The guy has been doing his own thing on Cult Records for years. He doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. If he didn't think the track was "cool," he wouldn't have been on it. Period.
The Impact: Did it Change the Game?
Looking back from 2026, the Charli XCX and Julian Casablancas link-up was a turning point for how we think about "indie" and "pop."
It proved that the wall between those two worlds is basically gone. You can be a post-punk legend and still fit perfectly on a hyperpop remix. It also set the stage for Julian’s 2025-2026 run with The Voidz, where they leaned even harder into the electronic influences.
What you should do next:
If you’re a fan of one but not the other, here’s how to bridge the gap.
- For the Charli fans: If you liked the "Mean girls" remix, go listen to Is This It by The Strokes. It’s the blueprint for the "mysterious and cool" energy Charli talks about. Then, if you’re feeling brave, dive into "Human Sadness" by The Voidz. It’s long, it’s weird, and it’s Julian’s masterpiece.
- For the Julian fans: Don't just stop at the remix. Listen to the original Brat album from start to finish. It’s not just "party music." Songs like "So I" and "I think about it all the time" have the same kind of raw, uncomfortable honesty that Julian’s best lyrics have.
- Check the credits: Look into A.G. Cook’s production on the remix. He’s the one who managed to make these two very different voices sound like they belonged in the same room.
The Brat era might be technically over, but the way it blurred the lines between high-art, indie-rock, and mainstream pop is going to stick around for a long time. Charli and Julian didn't just make a song; they made a statement. And even if that statement was a little messy and chaotic—well, that’s exactly what being a "brat" is all about.