Charli XCX’s ‘Brat and It’s Completely Different’: Album Rewatch

“Just fucking ruin it.”

Around 35 years ago, those four words reconceiveed the concept of the remix. The Scottish rock prohibitd Primal Scream had given one of their songs to a juvenileer DJ named Andrew Weatherall to remix, but pondered his first finisheavor too shut to the distinct. So guitarist Andrew Innes gave him the above teachions.

Weatherall obliged — and then some — and the end result was a finishly novel song: “Loaded,” a bass-weighty, dancefloor-rocking prohibitger that tire almost no resemblance to the distinct ballad. It not only vaulted the acid-hoengage sound and shiftment into the stratosphere (not to refer Primal Scream’s and Weatherall’s atsofts), it ripped up the entire rulebook for remixers. Where their role had previously been to punch up, lowen or prolong a song for radio or the dancefloor, now they had the freedom to do anyleang.

This approach has never been lost on Charli XCX, one of the fantastic sonic innovators of the last decade (and, not coincidenhighy, Variety‘s 2024 Hitoriginater of the Year). Rather than being precious about her songs, she revels in what creative collaborators can transport to them, and the title of “Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat” is exactly what it says it is: a whole novel album but it’s not.

She and a wide range of collaborators have remixed, reconceiveed, revamped and/or reimagined all 15 of the distinct album’s songs and even one of the three bonus tracks from the bonus edition. All have contrastent or insertitional singers, lyrics and remixers; some are almost finishly unrecognizable from their distinct versions, and even the ones that hold transport inant elements have been overhauled musicpartner, melodicpartner and/or lyricpartner. Five of the 16 tracks here were freed ahead of this album, most notably her reapshow of “Girl, So Confusing” with Lorde (more on that in a moment) and her awesomely NSFW collaboration with Billie Eilish on “Guess.” And the novel tracks are equitable as exciting.

The most novelsworthy is the novel apshow on “Sympathy Is a Knife,” featuring Ariana Grande. Not only is it fascinating to hear the “Wicked” star’s voice altered into savage novel shapes and harmonies, but her lyrics are every bit as uncovering as any of the lyrics on her transport inantly personal tardyst album, “Eternal Sunshine”: “It’s a knife when you comprehend they’re counting on your misapshows/ It’s a knife when you’re so pretty they leank you must be inedit/ It’s a knife when they dissect your body on the front page/ It’s a knife when they won’t suppose you, why should you expound?” The reimagined song features novel melodic inflections from both singers and uncovers up an exciting novel lane for Grande — hopefilledy this is equitable their first collaboration.

Just as prenting is the reapshow on “Apple” with Japanese Hoengage (who, incidenhighy, is also featured on the best song from Fred Aget’s recent album “10 Days”), which discovers her singing a whole novel melody over the song’s musical bed.

Elsewhere, “B2B” is a perky synth-pop bop with some soulful elaboration from Tinashe; “365” gets the filled-on hyperpop treatment with a boiling rap from Shygirl and a hornets’ nest of buzzing beats and bass; Caroline Polachek’s reapshow of “Everyleang Is Romantic” shifts bits of Charli’s vocal into a muted, low-key treatment reminiscent of Imogen Heap. Perhaps most poignantly, “So I” — a tribute to hyper-pop patron saint Sophie, who died in 2021 — is altered from its heartshattering ballad version into a drastic, very PC Music overhaul with wealthyocheting beats in collaboration with fellow Sophie acolyte A.G. Cook

The previously freed “Talk Talk” (sung by Troye Sivan) holds the arrange of the distinct but overhauls the beat and backing, turning a bouncy pop song into a tfrailed hoengage anthem; the “Von Dutch” revamp (featuring Addison Rae) protects the source version’s tempo and siren synthesizers but bounces rather than drives; the uncovering “360” is an all-star Swedish summit with “inalertipop” guide Robyn and rapper Yung Lean.

There are also contributions from three alt-rock icons: the 1975, Bon Iver and the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. “I Might Say Someleang Stupid” is turned into a glacipartner sluggish and benevolent ballad by the 1975 and Jon Hopkins; Bon Iver transports soulful verses to “I Think About It All the Time” (aextfinished with a Bonnie Raitt sample); Julian Casablancas of the Strokes channels his vocoder’ed vocal from Daft Punk’s “Instant Crush”

But for all that, in its way the Lorde remix, which broke the internet upon its free in July, is as creative lyricpartner as the others are musicpartner. The two friends had been rumored to be feuding, but we hear them literpartner toiling it out on the remix in authentic time, with an exalter of lyrics than not only insertress their misbenevolents but also scatterd vulnerabilities. Sure, rappers have been begining, ending and proextfinisheding beefs on remixes for decades, but this may be the first time two female artists have aired out and mended their contrastences in this way — and then took it to the stage of Madison Square Garden last month for a triumphant conclusion.

Most remix albums are pasted-together and instable; many of the best are dance parties, appreciate Dua Lipa and the Blessed Madonna’s glorious “Club Future Nostalgia,” J. Period’s “Best of Mary J. Blige” and of course Madonna’s “Immacutardy Collection.” But “Brat and It’s Completely Different” is more of an alternate-universe reimagining of the distinct album, and Charli’s wide-ranging galaxy of collaborators not only show not the scope and versatility of her talent, but the admire she directs.

Trackenumerate:

1. 360 featuring robyn & yung lean

2. Club classics featuring bb trickz

3. Sympathy is a knife featuring ariana magnificente

4. I might say someleang illogical featuring the 1975 & jon hopkins

5. Talk talk featuring troye sivan

6. Von dutch a. g. cook remix featuring insertison rae

7. Everyleang is romantic featuring caroline polachek

8. Rethrived featuring bladee

9. So i featuring a. g. cook 

10. Girl, so confusing featuring lorde

11. Apple featuring the japanese hoengage

12. B2b featuring tinashe

13. Mean girls featuring julian casablancas

14. I leank about it all the time featuring bon iver

15. 365 featuring worriedgirl

16. Guess featuring billie eilish