Brat is expertly repackaged as the fun, catchy, and much-awaited collaborative remix of Charli XCX’s hit album continues to present the singer’s most emotionally vulnerable moments as inseparable from her glamorous life of celebrity. Brat is repackaged as Charli expands upon her previous anxieties—such as whether to become a mother on I Think About It All the Time, her position on the fringes of celebrity, her insecurities, and much more. This all alongside the commercial success and popularity of the original version of the album, which has shot her to a new level of fame.
In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Charli opens up about her shock surrounding the unprecedented popularity of the album, stating: “I’ve not really sacrificed any part of myself to appeal to more people.” As it turns out, this is exactly what connected to listeners across the world. Amongst the album’s new releases that were much awaited by fans, remix tracks such as Von Dutch feat. Addison Raye, Talk Talk feat. Troye Sivan, Guess feat. Billie Eilish, and Girl, So Confusing feat. Lorde were gradually pre-released, with their critical and fan reception building exhilaration for the rumoured release of the full remix album: Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat.
Each remix seamlessly remasters each original track, making them completely different but still everything we loved about Brat, with the collaborators achieving the seemingly impossible by adding even more energy, emotion, and fun to Charli’s masterpiece. Undoubtedly, one of the most entrancing remixes on the album is Everything is Romantic featuring Caroline Polacheck; this track mimics the intimate nature of a phone call between friends: “I think I need your advice”. Polachek paints a picture of a late-night stroll through autumnal London while discussing Charli’s complex feelings about Brat’s success: “It’s like you’re living the dream but you’re not living your life”, as Charli’s rise to new heights of success leaves her “smothered by logistics” and pressure.
The track ends on a positive note, with a call-back to Von Dutch’s energetic and, indeed, romanticised portrayal of “living that life” as a celebrity: “Charli calls from a photo set/Living that life is romantic, right?”. While each remix track has its obvious individual merits, other examples stood out. Continuing her tribute to her late friend and artistic peer SOPHIE, Charli and producer A.G Cook’s fast-paced, flowing track shows them reminiscing as they “think about all the good times”.
The opening track, 360 feat. Robyn and Yung Lean perfectly reworks the iconic backing track with equal levels of confidence and catchiness. Club Classics feat. Bb Trickz and 365 feat. Shy Girl cement themselves as vibrant, bold, and rave-ready. And the list goes on.
It becomes clear that Charli XCX’s long and successful career has reached new heights, as new and old fans alike continue their love for Brat.