According to the Gregorian calendar, nondenominational summer ends in about six weeks. But Brat Summer, the cultural phenomenon surrounding Charli XCX’s sixth album, Brat, is already being eulogized. Maybe you were over Brat Summer a month ago, or maybe your political party of choice just recently made you aware that it existed at all. Either way, it seems like a good time to look back at the ups and downs of the past couple of neon-green-tinged months and take stock of where everyone stands. Without further ado, here are The Ringer’s winners and losers and it’s the same but it’s about Brat Summer so it’s not.
Winner: Charli XCX, 365 Party Girl
I mean, obviously. Brat Summer has marked the highest commercial peak in Charli’s career since the “Boom Clap” and “Fancy” days. While the Brat singles haven’t blown up the charts the way those songs did, the album is still her highest-charting record (at no. 3) on the Billboard 200, and “360” is her highest-charting single (no. 44) in a decade. But charts aside, Brat passes the eye test as a cultural phenomenon. Granted, I live in a trendy area of Los Angeles, but I haven’t walked into a cafe in months without hearing at least one song from Brat, if not the whole album. Or even walked down the street without hearing it coming out of someone’s car.
What’s really cool about it all is that Brat comes after Charli made a more conscious effort to appeal to the mainstream with her previous album, Crash, which led her to sacrifice her innovative sound and limited her work with her excellent collaborator A.G. Cook. Crash was, on paper, a success, but this time around, Charli made a record (with Cook all over it) far more in line with the experimental hyperpop sound that her best work is known for, and it made much more of an impact than Crash did. Even in a year when a lot of pop veterans’ albums came and went (like the ones by [redacted], [redacted], and, oh, [redacted]), Brat genuinely stuck around.
Winner: The Color Green
Pink has had its moment for a while. We had millennial pink and Barbie pink, and three of Pantone’s Color of the Year selections since 2019 have been shades of pink. Wasn’t everyone tired of those soft, romantic hues and aching for something, um, “unfriendly and uncool”? Enter brat green, a neon chartreuse shade Charli describes as “actually quite disgusting” that graces the album cover, accompanied by some low-res sans serif text. While the pink trends over the years may have brought about visions of beautiful sunsets and azaleas, brat green evokes other wonders of nature, like the Gonster or Katy Perry getting pummeled with Nickelodeon slime. As such, brat green fever has swept the nation, inspiring an endless number of co*cktails I can only assume taste like battery acid–flavored Jolly Ranchers, fashion magazine guides on how to style this “bile green” color, and, of course, merch, both official and unofficial. In an interview with The New York Times, Brat artwork designer Brent David Freaney said, “This is not millennial pink. The energy behind it is alive.” Channeling radioactive waste is certainly one way to instill some energy into the culture.
Winner: Lorde, Sans Jack Antonoff
Much has already been said about Lorde’s vulnerable “Girl, So Confusing” verse as she and Charli confronted their insecurities and worked it out on the remix, so can I just say, after 2021’s lukewarm Solar Power, how nice it was to hear Lorde on a beat with some juice to it? As Jack Antonoff’s stock plummets with each new, middling Taylor Swift album, I’m sure fans are wondering what a whole Lorde–A.G. Cook album would sound like. For now, watching Lorde and Charli party to their own song together should at least hold over Kyle MacLachlan.
TBD November 2024: Kamala Harris
You’ve probably noticed that Brat Summer is not what it was two months ago. In fact, maybe you can’t even hear the words “Brat Summer” anymore without thinking of coconut trees and cringing. When Vice President Kamala Harris embraced Brat memes, thanks to an endorsem*nt from Charli herself, the whole thing kind of got out of hand. After Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee and some fancams set to Brat songs cropped up, the Kamala HQ Twitter account changed its banner to mimic the Brat album cover and posted “365” on its TikTok. Politicians including California Representative Mark Takano and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine posted references to Brat in response to Harris’s campaign. New York City Mayor Eric Adams suggested an “S.O.P.” (“summer of possibility”) instead of a Brat Summer after clearly not knowing that being “brat” is supposed to be a good thing. It’s all very “How do you do, fellow kids?” and a lot of the largely internet-savvy Charli fans are probably wondering who exactly this is for.
That said, Harris is polling well, and the memes aren’t really letting up. The whole Brat-inspired campaign is likely intended to appeal more to the liberal social media user who fan-casts Tim Walz on SNL rather than the average Charli XCX fan who asks her to hold a poppers bottle and say “gay rights!” That means that even though Harris’s Brat Summer (and maybe Brat Fall?) is just getting started, for a lot of us, the whole concept is already dead. We’ll find out in November whether all of this pays off for Harris, but for now, we mourn when Brat Summer was about cocaine memes, existential crises over having a child, and partying all night.
Losers: Confused Cable News Talking Heads
While we won’t know the outcome of Kamala Harris’s attempt at a Brat Summer for a few months, we can at least judge how news pundits are handling coverage of the album. And you’d be shocked to hear that it’s been rough so far.
If you’re a registered Democrat of a certain disposition (i.e., you don’t get all your news from Pop Crave), you might have just recently heard about Brat Summer, and maybe you’ve looked to your favorite legacy media personalities to explain it to you. Unfortunately, they probably haven’t been of much help. There’s MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, who informs you that he’s “told by the youngs that this summer, ‘brat’ is more of a vibe.” Or Rachel Maddow, who says, “To be totally honest with you, I’m not really sure I know what [brat] means,” and attempts to laugh at some Kamala Brat memes. Or CNN’s Jamie Gangel, who painfully stumbles through a definition of “brat” to a befuddled Jake Tapper, to which Kaitlan Collins replies, “I don’t know if you’re brat. I think you aspire to be brat—you don’t just become brat! You have to try.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. The good news is, if you’re still confused about what Brat Summer is, something tells me it won’t be around much longer anyway.
Winner: The Dare
The Dare didn’t have the smoothest start to his career. The LCD Soundsystem–inspired pop-rock artist associated with indie sleaze revival and the Dimes Square scene (none of these words are in the Bible) almost immediately became a cultural lightning rod for chronically online music fans, thanks to the polarizing nature of the scenes around him and the provocative album cover for his 2023 EP, The Sex. Plus, the music maybe wasn’t good enough to justify all the nonsense—Pitchfork compared him to LMFAO and Macklemore and called his schtick “a little exhausting.”
Sounds like someone ripe for a Charli XCX endorsem*nt! She tapped the musician to produce the bonus track “Guess,” which ended up getting a Billie Eilish–assisted remix, and invited him to open for her at a couple of Brat shows. Charli has cosigned some polarizing figures in the past, from Addison Rae to Lil Xan, so it’s no surprise that the Dare is up her alley. Now, Addison Rae’s and Lil Xan’s music careers didn’t exactly vroom vroom to the top of the charts after they linked up with Charli, but she certainly introduced them to a new audience. It seems safe to say the same is happening for the Dare, though at least for Reddit user i-still-play-neopets, who was hit in the face by a water bottle the Dare threw at the L.A. Brat show and told the artist to “count [his] days,” that introduction hasn’t gone over swimmingly. I guess we all gotta start somewhere?
Loser: D.A.R.E.
If Brat Summer has a rallying cry, it’s “bumping that.” Bumping what, exactly? I’m glad you asked. Can I interest you in a little key … lime pie? Or a little line … of people outside the church on Sunday morning? French manicure wipe away the residue … of … OK, sorry, officer, I got nothing. At least we know Charli’s tour will be drug-free, since everyone’s little plastic baggies will just have tiny sandwiches in them.
Losers: Charli XCX Imitators
Let’s face it: The pop music well has been bone dry for a while. That’s why Brat, along with the rise of new pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, has been such a breath of fresh air. However, when you’re at the center of a phenomenon in a genre where former stars are falling out of favor, you’re bound to have your imitators, especially those who, let’s say, aren’t quite so Julia. Earlier this year, Camila Cabello teased a new song along with a pretty distinct rebrand that all seemed very … familiar FROOT. The song, called “I Luv It,” featured a repetitive chorus reminiscent of Charli’s “I Got It” and seemed to hop on the hyperpop bandwagon that Charli helped pioneer. Plus, the teaser video had a lo-fi, party-girl aesthetic that appeared very XCX-esque, and it didn’t help that Cabello’s then-upcoming album was titled C,XOXO. People were quick to draw comparisons, including Charli herself. Fast-forward a few months, and Katy Perry is debuting a significant style shift of her own—one that’s less cupcake bra and more leather and ripped pantyhose, again very much evoking 365 party girl.
In this country, you’re innocent until proven guilty, so who knows what the actual intention was behind these reinventions, but what is clear is that neither Cabello nor Perry has exactly had a Brat Summer. “I Luv It” was released to mixed reviews, and C,XOXO featured not one, but two Drake features at just about the worst possible time for them. It didn’t crack the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Perry’s 143 isn’t due out until next month, but if the abysmal lead single, “Woman’s World,” is any indication, we probably won’t be having a 143 Autumn. Charli said it herself—“I’m your favorite reference, baby”—but it turns out that a camcorder and some dad sunglasses do not a Brat Summer make.
Winner: 2007 Lil Wayne Style
Charli has collaborated with tons of artists throughout her career, from Carly Rae Jepsen to Tinashe to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. When she announces a new song, truly anyone could be on it. And yet, it didn’t take long for fans to figure out who the feature would be on the “Guess” remix. Charli posted the single artwork ahead of the song’s release, which was a photograph of her next to someone pulling up their shirt to reveal low-rise jeans and multiple layers of boxers, and fans sleuthed out who it was. “gee I wonder who it could be dressed like 2007 Lil Wayne,” said one Twitter user. Sure, Billie Eilish has made some questionable fashion choices over the years, but to go from Chingy to 2007 Lil Wayne in one month? That’s growth.
Winner: People Who Missed TikTok Dances
It’s been a while since there was a TikTok dance trend, right? That’s not just me? Regardless, people have been hitting the “Apple” choreo like it’s mid-2020 again, from Amish TikTok to the cast of Twisters. Did people miss these trends? If so, I’m glad Charli (and Lady Raven) could help rekindle that bit of early pandemic culture for you.
Loser: Brand Synergy
As soon as Brat Summer started gaining traction, it was only a matter of time before Your Favorite Brands™ jumped on the trend. Famously relatable companies like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and, uh, the NYC MTA wasted no time riffing on Brat memes. Hey brands, quick question: Are all of you aware that a not-insignificant part of this album is about doing illegal drugs?
Winners: Hot Internet Girls
It’s already known that Red Scare podcast host Dasha Nekrasova inspired the Brat cut “Mean Girls,” but the whole Brat aesthetic gets at a type of person that the “360” music video—which features various It Girls such as Rachel Sennott, Gabbriette, Alex Consani, and [gasp] Chloë Sevigny—calls “hot internet girls.” And what’s the requirement for being a hot internet girl? “Being really hot, but in, like, a scary way.” Dark makeup, abrasiveness, and a certain je ne sais quoi seem to be the uniform, along with looking really cool holding a cigarette. And while Brat celebrates girls from all walks of hot and internet, no one has been a bigger winner from this demographic than Julia Fox. Not only is she featured prominently in the “360” clip, but she’s also name-checked in the hook. “I’m so Julia” quickly became one of Brat Summer’s defining mantras, and Fox was suddenly as synonymous with the phenomenon as Charli is. Which of course means there’s a non-zero chance of a Julia Fox segment on CNN. Don’t you want to hear Jake Tapper say Uncuh Jahms?
