Charli xcx introduces an upcoming Spanish star Bb trickz in the remix of 'Club Classics'. The song is known for its iconic words that includes the mantra for the brat movement, “Who the fuck are you? I'm a brat”. Bb trickz adds her humorous lyrics alongside the newly renovated pumping beats, “I'm playing on loop, BRA-BRAT in the club/ That ass moves like jelly" (translation). The rapper fits seamlessly into the aura of the song, going viral on social media for her Spanish verse due to its catchy synchronisation with the pulse of the track, despite most of her listeners not knowing what it translates to.
There isn’t much about BRAT that could have been improved. For me however, the emotional vocals and piano supplied by Matty Healy and The 1975 took 'I might say something stupid' - in my opinion one of the weaker tracks on the original album - and elevated it to another level. There are more danceable, feel-good tracks on the album, sure, and “I don’t know if I belong here anymore” isn’t a particularly bratty lyric, but as remixes go, you can’t get much better than this.
Both versions of 'Everything is romantic' are my favourite on each respective album. But unlike the original’s explosive and orchestral instrumental, the remix features strikingly stripped-down production, while maintaining its cinematic feel. Alt-pop icon Caroline Polachek delivers an interpolation of Charli’s verse, centered around British imagery rather than Italian, as well her own chopped, cyclical delivery of the track's “fall in love again and again”. But what makes the song for me is her background vocals. The way her voice soars, floats and undulates creates a divine, out-of-body sensation, providing a newfound elegance to a song that was once so bombastic, and yet still sounds romantic.
For me, it must be between ‘Girl, so confusing featuring lorde’ and ‘I think about it all the time featuring bon iver’. Lorde’s bombshell verse was the spark that lit the BRAT remix fuse. The nature of its release, the vulnerability of the verse, and the already iconic line "Cause I ride for you, Charli" makes it hard to top. However, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and his ethereal vocals provide tough competition. As well as this, Charli’s honest portrayal of her problems being prolonged by the sheer success of BRAT, is both soul-crushing, and incredibly impressive.
Among the household names and voices of the generation featured on BRAT (remix), The Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas’ appearance on 'Mean girls' stands apart to me. Listening to this song I am reminded of his ventures through the last two decades of sharing his inconceivable talent with the world, be it the twisting autotune reminiscent of both the bridge of 'Did my Best', a 2019 single from his second band, the experimental-art-rock sextet 'The Voidz', as well as his feature on 'Instant Crush', a single from 2013s Album of the Year recipient, Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, on top of his take on the lyrics resulting in a surprisingly devastating echoing on themes found across the last Strokes album, wherein he reflects on friendships, his divorce and his life up to this point, cementing his character in this song as a victim of these self-proclaimed ‘Mean girls’. In short, this remix album seems to have been destined to be blessed with the presence of one Julian Casablancas.
This song perfectly captures the essence of brat summer (or autumn?) with the pumping bass of Charli xcx's clubbing aesthetic. The British hyperpop, dance artist Shygirl adds an even more high-energy element to the track with catchy lyrics that have that party vibe: “Too hot, when I sweat, just lick me/ Touch and squeeze when the bassline hits me”. Fans of the BRAT creator will already have heard versions of this remix at her Boiler room set as well as at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Luton back in May.
