Judging The ‘Brat’ Remixes By Inspiration and Execution
Some tracks were pleasant surprises, others were sore disappointments, and some were exactly what I expected them to be.
brat, at its core, was arguably an album about friendship. Whether the songs aimed to capture the feeling of going out with the gang, to analyze one’s relationship to fellow artists and loved ones, or to keep the fun momentum of partying going, Charli xcx’s latest record was meant to bring people together in social settings. brat was never meant to be a “just Charli” thing (even though the pop industry has a problem with not recognizing and crediting her for…well, everything she’s done since 2013). She spent most of the aftermath of the record’s release highlighting her producers A.G. Cook and George Daniel (among others, including The Dare), her fahsion and music inspirations, her friends and family, and now with the advent of brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, a whole list of artists that remixed and reworked the whole album.
When all the collaborators were announced, I envisioned an experiment that everyone would conduct, forcing all the artists involved to embrace clubbier, more avant-garde sounds outside the sphere of pop. Charli xcx pulled in legendary vocalists, innovators within their own genres, and many generations of talent for this project. Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat was meant to be the exciting grand finale to one of the biggest shake-ups in recent pop history, and it was meant to show that even solid pop girls like Ariana Grande could go grittier and bolder.
Overall, I found the remix album to be shockingly middle-of-the-road. For a record that aimed to pay homage to the club scene, Charli xcx didn’t engage with club, hip-hop, or even electroclash and nu-disco (if we want to get annoying about it) artists as much as she could have. I found much of the reworked songs even poppier, leaving me with the unsatisfying feeling of a missed opportunity to push even further into the subculture.
Charli xcx also made some pairing choices. There were some I believed were doomed from the start, and others I thought made perfect sense if she wanted to retain the spirit of brat. So, I judged every remix based on two criteria: “Inspiration,” or how intelligent I thought the pairing between guest artist and song was, and “Execution,” or how good (and brat) the remix actually was. Here are my thoughts:
Robyn and yung lean, “360”
Inspiration: 14/16
Execution: 15/16
This song *is* brat. Whereas the original song establishes the themes of the album as a celebration of Charli xcx’s massive influence on the pop industry, especially as a forward-thinking artist, this remix with Robyn and yung lean provide endless examples of why they, and everyone else on brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, are icons in the music industry. The multi-generational lineup covering differing genres (Robyn’s power pop, Charli’s alt pop, and yung lean’s cloud rap) became a delightful surprise, mainly because they all feed off each other’s swag. If brat is about coming together to make good music for everyone to dance to, then the “360” remix offers exactly that. I’m in my Elvis moment killin’ this shit since 1994!
BB trickz, “Club classics”
Inspiration: 13/16
Execution: 14/16
One of my favorite things Charli xcx does when it comes to collaborations is pull someone who, while not very known in the grander pop scheme, has the artistic vision and guts to become big. Bb trickz, a 24-year-old Spanish rapper, began releasing music last year, and already she’s doing everything artists of the likes of Ice Spice are doing but better. In a way, her appearance on the song celebrating all the dance “classics” functions as her inauguration as a staple in nightclub soundtracks. BB trickz matched Charli xcx’s relentless energy, wit, and coolness, producing a solid dance track that captures all the chaotic youth of brat.
Ariana Grande, “Sympathy is a knife”
Inspiration: 3/16
Execution: 3/16
I never vibed with this pairing because these two women have never been in the same room (except for award shows, maybe). “Sympathy is a knife” was one of Charli xcx’s harsher, more art/hyper-poppy, club songs, focused on channeling all the pointedness of the lyrics into clean, simplified, and edgy production. While Grande certainly has a powerful voice and presence, it’s too clean and smooth for the demands of the track. I don’t think her perfect pop sound matches the imperfection Charli xcx actively embraces and turns into something magical, and she missed the opportunity to adapt to another artist’s sound. Furthermore, while I found the issues Ariana Grande addressed insighful, the remix loses the brash, refreshing wittiness of hating. Like, we know the industry unnecessarily pits women against each other and revels in pointing out our insecurities, but the reason why the original mix worked was the fact that it also removed some of the nuance behind dysfunctional female friendships. Sometimes, women are annoying, and yes, they make you want to buy a gun!
The 1975 and Jon Hopkins, “I might say something stupid”
Inspiration: 7/16
Execution: 13/16
Arguably, Matty Healy’s “I might say something stupid” was already written in 2020 with the releases of “Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied” and “Roadkill” for Notes On A Conditional Form. Who is surprised her fiancé George Daniel’s band (one that she cut off Rina Sawayama for) is on the remix album? Certainly not I, the person who guessed it immediately when she teased the song lyric for it. More unsurprising is how much I loved the track. While Charli xcx’s original lyrics cut straight to the point, functioning as a short interlude that crashes from the high of the party life, The 1975’s version focuses more on the concept of taking up space. Extending it into an ambient mix where every note lingers on the previous thought emphasizes the loneliness and overthinking about one’s presence laden in the original track. The explosion into the frantic and gospel-like electronica, only to end in the quietude of “I’m famous but I’m not quite,” felt immaculate. I loved how the remix kept their identity, but it also expanded upon Charli xcx’s ideas in a way that didn’t feel a total rewrite.
Troye Sivan, “Talk, talk”
Inspiration: 4/16
Execution: 11/16
We knew he was going to be on here, even before the single dropped. The two have already collaborated before on “1999” and “2099” in Charli (2019), and they both came up in that same vein of alt Tumblrina pop in 2014. Not to mention that both artists are co-headlining the SWEAT Tour, and Troye Sivan’s Something to Give Each Other was an underrated pop classic in 2023, making him a perfect candidate for the brat entourage. The song itself was also a fun bop that made me want to dance for hours, and Dua Lipa was there!
Addison Rae, “Von Dutch”
Inspiration: 2/16
Execution: 2/16
I know that Rae is somehow Charli xcx’s protégée, but it’s just…flat. The original “Von Dutch” makes me feel like I’m an iPhone that vibrated after getting plugged into a power source. It’s loud, in-your-face, exploding with star power and the raw energy of the sickest club in New York City. Addison Rae (who’s too busy trying to imitate the pop stars we all grew up with to avoid reckoning with her own lack of identity) only matches the energy when she lets out that sustained shriek at the bridge.
Caroline Polachek, “Everything is romantic”
Inspiration: 6/16
Execution: 1/16
If Caroline Polachek wasn’t on the remix album, fans would have turned Bushwick into the 1789 Bastille. The song pairing makes sense for her since “Everything is romantic” has an ethereal and dreamlike quality to it, and that seems to be within Polachek’s wheelhouse. Plus, the two regularly collaborate (with Charli xcx making the other’s songs better, in my opinion). This is, however, where I admit two things: “Everything is romantic” has always been a skip track, and I don’t get the hype around Caroline Polachek. I appreciate the artist’s love of Grimes and Bjork, I really do, but I don’t think she “pushes” the genre as much as the critics and fans say she does. Sure, she can vocal flip, yodel, screech, and bring an NYU version of “art freak” vibe to any function. I’m glad she did that to make a boring song a little less boring. Yet, she also brings a tenth of the required energy to…well, anything (including choreography). It just doesn’t click for me!
Bladee, “Rewind”
Inspiration: 9/16
Execution: 8/16
When I saw the announcement that he was going to be on the album, I said nothing but, “Yup, yup, yup!” (yung lean was already there, might as well complete the drain gang.) The song choice made perfect sense too: “Rewind” had a glitchcore, sadboi cloud rap groove to it that artists like Bladee could execute well. I like that this version has a more drum and bass tone to it, even if it doesn’t scream, “Let’s go to the club!” like other remixes did. While the original track dealt mainly with the woes of being an underrated female pop star who’s constantly thrown into unfair competitions with others, the Bladee remix also has some evocative reflections about fame and not ever feeling enough for the industry, such as the straightforward, “I'm in the hills, perfectly still / The sun is setting in my will (Yeah, yeah) / My mind is split up like two bills / I pay for everything myself / I kill for everything I feel.” Good job, Bladee.
A.G. Cook, “So I”
Inspiration: 11/16
Execution: 7/16
After everything he’s done for brat, I’m glad A.G. Cook gets a track. Plus, it’s fitting that he’s featured on the track dedicated to his late personal friend and close collaborator, SOPHIE, and that the song became more about fond memories than missed opportunities and guilt. Again, it’s doing memorials right.
Lorde, “Girl, so confusing”
Inspiration: 15/16
Execution: 16/16
The “Girl, so confusing” remix was one thing: herstory.
The Japanese House, “Apple”
Inspiration: 12/16
Execution: 5/16
I didn’t think Charli xcx rocked like that, but I was with it! This is possibly the only track someone like The Japanese House—who typically writes mellow, emotionally complex, and borderline ethereal tracks—could resonate with. I enjoyed that The Japanese House shifted the perspective slightly to emphasize the physical distance between the two characters in the song rather than the inescapability of the relationship that manifests in physical appearance, behavioral patterns, etc. However, like many of the songs here, there wasn’t a strong attempt to preserve the energy of the original track and transform it into something unique.
Tinashe, “B2b”
Inspiration: 10/16
Execution: 12/16
Tinashe was another artist where, upon announcement, I yelled, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” A little on the unsurprising side—both artists collaborated ages ago on a Ty Dolla $ign song, and Tinashe also released “Nasty,” one of the iconic songs of the summer—but still one of the more refreshing pairings. Tinashe’s rap and R&B flair would still keep brat pop but bring an oomph to one of the clubbier tracks. I do love that they transformed a hot and sweaty song about a tortured relationship into a lighthearted celebration of both artists’ parallel rises to commercial success, and the airy, glittery re-design of the sound offers a glimmer of positivity in an otherwise sadder introspective on fame that other artists provided. I love to see the girls booked and busy, and most importantly, grooving to a sick beat!
Julian Casablancas, “Mean girls”
Inspiration: 16/16
Execution: 6/16
Julian…Julian….JULIAN!!! When I first saw his name glowing in the brat green light of a random billboard outside the building I work in, I fell to my knees. Of COURSE New York City’s actual darling—the king of loving electronic music and starting his own movement in the grossest, dingiest bars of the city himself—would be the most genius option for “Mean girls.” Charli xcx paired Julian Casablancas with this track like she was in the Ratatouille scene where Remy the rat ate a hunk of cheese and a strawberry at the same time and discovered jazz music. Unfortunately, I hated “Mean girls” upon first listen. Now, I like it! I hadn’t noticed that she stripped the autotune and sang with raw vocals, which is a surprising and nice detail that harmonized well with Casablancas, and his voice isn’t as distorted as I thought it was originally. This song is almost as experimental as most of the guest collaborator’s solo work, and the borrowing of “Work it out on the remix” line from the “Girl, so confusing” remix felt cute and appropriate! I do find it funny that Casablancas made this about his divorce and admitted he was the problem. Very brat.
Bon Iver, “I think about it all the time”
Inspiration: 1/16
Execution: 4/16
In a perfect world, this would have been a duet with Lily Allen. What on Earth made Charli xcx listen to her song and think, “Oh, you know who would kill on this track? BON IVER.” Thankfully, it’s not the worst song on the remix album. It is, however, somehow even sadder than the original and, in a strange turn of events, a really haunting Phil Collins-at-the-club song.
Shygirl, “365”
Inspiration: 8/16
Execution: 9/16
For the people that experienced the Boiler Room set (either in person or via released livestream), this remix has been teased for a long time. However, while unsurprising that the Shygirl version is here, I do want to say that it’s still vital that Charli highlighted the artists that are keeping the club and techno scene alive. Charli xcx wanted brat to serve as this return to nightlife, a celebration of the scenes that shaped her into the party girl she is today. To go full pop with it and only acquire pop artists, regardless of how iconic they are, would be a cop out. Shygirl injected speed into “365” and turned a microcosm of a night out into a full-on rave.
Billie Eilish, “Guess”
Inspiration: 5/16
Execution: 10/16
This was a pairing that made me say, “Sure, why not?” I think both of them work together; they’re on a more alternative path in pop music that seeks to challenge the form and have fun with it. And this song, which oozes with power and confidence, was nothing short of fun! Having two absolute baddies on the track makes perfect sense. Send it to The Dare, yeah I think he’s with it!
Here is how I ranked each remix overall, complete with whether I was pleasantly surprised, disappointed, or satisfied with my prediction:
KEY: “+” means pleasantly surprised, “O” means expected, and “-” means disappointed.
The header image is credited to the proper owner below the photographs. All other photos were taken by the author.
If you want a great example of a remix album, listen to Jockstrap’s I<3UQTNVU, a complete reworking of their 2022 album, I Love You, Jennifer B. Taylor Skye definitely did his homework and understood that we needed more club bangers derived from art-pop hits.