If you walked into a store in the middle of 2024 and saw a specific, aggressive shade of lime green, you knew exactly what it was. It wasn't just a color. It was a lifestyle, a meme, and a massive shift in how we talk about pop music. Charli XCX didn't just drop an album; she created a feedback loop of chaos and vulnerability that basically dominated the entire year. But honestly, as much as people talk about "Brat Summer," the actual charli xcx songs brat offers are way deeper—and weirder—than the neon marketing suggests.
People think Brat is just a rave record. It’s not. Sure, you’ve got the massive, bone-rattling bass of "Von dutch" and the absolute club perfection of "365," but the heart of this project is actually kind of anxious. It’s a 30-something woman wondering if she wants to have kids, mourning a best friend who changed the world, and admitting she’s jealous of other girls in the industry. It’s messy. It’s "bratty," yeah, but it’s also incredibly human.
The Secret Layers of Charli XCX Songs Brat Fans Miss
When you look at the tracklist, it seems like a straightforward run of dance tracks. It’s not. The sequencing is designed to give you whiplash. You go from "Club classics," which is basically a manifesto for wanting to hear your own music at the party, straight into "Sympathy is a knife."
That song? It’s uncomfortable. It’s Charli admitting that seeing another successful woman (widely speculated to be Taylor Swift at the time, given the "Eras" tour references and the Matty Healy connection) makes her feel like she’s shrinking. She’s not trying to be the "cool girl" there. She’s being the insecure girl. That’s the real "brat" energy—being honest about the feelings that aren't "aesthetic."
- "Apple" became a TikTok juggernaut because of the dance, but have you actually listened to the lyrics? It’s a song about generational trauma. It uses the "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" metaphor to dissect her relationship with her parents and her fear of inheriting their flaws.
- "So I" is the emotional anchor. It’s a tribute to the late producer SOPHIE. It’s not a standard "I miss you" ballad. It’s a complex admission of guilt and the awkwardness of grief. Charli talks about how she used to push SOPHIE away because she felt intimidated by her genius. It’s heartbreakingly real.
Why the Remixes Changed the Game
You can't talk about charli xcx songs brat without mentioning the "Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat" era. This wasn't a lazy cash grab. Charli used the remixes to turn the songs into conversations.
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Take "Girl, so confusing." The original was already a standout, a song about the confusing "frenemy" energy between two female artists. Then she brought Lorde onto the remix. Suddenly, it wasn't a diss track or a mystery; it was a public therapy session. Lorde’s verse about her own body image issues and why she skipped Charli’s parties was a massive cultural moment. It showed that "brat" isn't just about being a party girl—it's about the radical transparency of female friendship.
Then there’s "Guess" featuring Billie Eilish. This track is just pure, unadulterated confidence. It’s flirty, it’s loud, and the music video—featuring ten thousand pairs of underwear being donated to charity—perfectly captured the "too much-ness" of the brand.
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The Production Powerhouse
The sound of these songs didn't happen by accident. Charli worked with a tight-knit circle of geniuses. A. G. Cook, the executive producer, has been her right-hand man for years, but the addition of Gesaffelstein on "B2B" and Hudson Mohawke on "Mean girls" added a gritty, industrial edge that made the album feel dangerous.
It’s electropop, but it’s "sour." It’s meant to sound like a club at 4:00 AM—blurry, loud, and maybe a little bit stressful.
The Legacy of the Slime Green Era
By the time 2025 rolled around, the "Brat" effect was everywhere. It even influenced the 2024 presidential election cycle when the Kamala Harris campaign leaned into the aesthetic. But as we move into 2026, the music is what stays.
Charli has already started teasing that her next project will be "completely different," potentially featuring string sections and a more organic sound. That’s the most Charli XCX move possible: building a world-conquering brand and then immediately setting it on fire to try something new.
If you're looking to really "get" the charli xcx songs brat has given us, don't just play them on your phone speakers while you're getting ready. Put on some good headphones. Listen to the way "I think about it all the time" ends so abruptly, reflecting the suddenness of the life choices she’s contemplating. Notice the jagged, "broken" synths in "Everything is romantic" that contrast with the beautiful, chaotic lyrics about falling in love in Italy.
The album isn't just a soundtrack for a summer. It’s a blueprint for being an adult who still hasn't figured it all out, and that's why it's going to stick around for a long time.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Listen to the full "Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat" album in one sitting. The way the features (like Julian Casablancas on "Mean girls" or Ariana Grande on "Sympathy is a knife") recontextualize the original lyrics is a masterclass in songwriting.
- Watch the "360" music video to see the "Brat" girl archetype in action; it's a who's-who of the "it-girls" that inspired the record's aesthetic.
- Explore Charli’s back catalog, specifically Pop 2 and how i'm feeling now, to see how the experimental "hyperpop" sounds she pioneered eventually evolved into the mainstream success of Brat.