Obviously, this is a title that’s meant to be annoying, but it really is true. This was a terrible example of an awareness campaign. And that’s because it wasn’t one at all… for starters, I’d noticed that outside my social sphere, no one seemed to be particularly aware of BRAT or its story. Whereas for those in the know, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Jesus Christ, Mars Delights and Motorola Razrs were making a comeback all on the same day.
Naturally, I was left quite perplexed by this. Then I became even more perplexed when I noticed the tour wasn’t selling that well either.
But then after that, I became far less perplexed, because I realised that I was measuring BRAT’s success by the wrong metrics. What makes it stand out so much to me is that it feels a lot more like an engagement campaign. And by that measure, it’s actually really good. Incredible even. With many artists looking to go as big as possible, all the time, I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the most unusual campaigns I’ve seen in contemporary popular music.
The story
The album itself is great. It’s a very honest listen that artfully toes the line of confessional and self-indulgent, and while you wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a sonic culmination of her career up until this point, it does feel like a defining statement on a conceptual level. In contrast to her last release, CRASH (2022), which felt like a more general celebration of modern pop, BRAT sees Charli embracing her authentic self, musically and lyrically, as she interrogates her commercial goals; if she’s even really interested in fame, and how she feels at odds with the persona she has created.
It’s in this inward focus that I noticed clues, as to Charli’s underlying creative and commercial intent.
Complicated social media
All of the above has been furthered by Charli’s complicated relationship with the commercial expectations placed upon artists in modern times. One minute outspoken about her distaste at being ‘forced’ to make TikToks (which she later admitted was a lie), the next, she’s posting a list of (deliberately?) crap marketing ideas ‘her team had given to her’.
And it’s this long-standing beef with growth-based promotion that ties neatly in with BRAT’s narrative and commercial aspirations. Further to this, Charli also created a private Instagram account (colloquially known as finsta) which allowed fans to hear sneak previews of new tracks before the public could get their sweaty hands on them.
Memeable artwork
Perhaps one of the biggest clues of Charli’s intent on this release is the album’s artwork — at a glance it’s clear that the intent here is not general appeal. Brash, bold, and a bit of an eyesore, the use of just one colour and one word with a low-res generic typeface felt like an appeal purely intended for those already in the know, with the monochromatic deluxe edition even less visually appealing. Interestingly though, due to its simplicity, the BRAT motif is incredibly memeable, and has already seen use in campaigns from sausages to the general election. The latter saw BRAT being co-opted by the Green Party, which shares similar values and social spaces.
Confessional songs
Then there’s the music itself. Many of the songs on the album do not breach the three-minute mark, and often lack a distinct verse or chorus in favour of confessional, story-driven lyricism. Much of BRAT’s appeal lies in the fact that it reads like a diary entry, and intended for those with context of her story up until this point. This is reflected in relatively modest listening stats. Of course, 20 million monthly listeners shouldn’t be sniffed at, but when put next to many of her contemporaries (who have in many cases been around for a lot less time), the numbers are far from astronomical. And that’s fine!
Unconventional collaborations
Unlike CRASH, there are no features on the standard or deluxe editions of BRAT. Most of the people associated with the campaign weren’t musicians but personalities already very much within Charli’s sphere, and by extension her fans. Alternative internet It-girls like Gabbriette, Rachel Sennott and Julia Fox were featured not just in videos, but were constantly mentioning Charli in their own social media output, acting as influencers for its release. This culminated in the video for single ‘360’; featuring the names mentioned above among several others, described by many fans as The Avengers of the BRAT Cinematic Universe.
The unconventional collaborations didn’t end there. Charli found an unlikely ally in TikToker Addison Rae for the single Von Dutch’s remix. This is perhaps the only time Charli steps out of her audience’s comfort zone during this campaign, and even then, this wasn’t done traditionally. The remix itself is built around a 15-second clip purpose-built for TikTok, with the hook being Rae quite literally screaming over a beat — nothing melodic, no chorus, and featuring a celebrity that XCX’s fanbase are largely indifferent, or even put off by. And yet it worked.
The final collaborative masterstroke started with the song Girl, so confusing. Another typically confessional track, it alluded to Charli’s difficult relationship with one of her contemporaries. Lyrical breadcrumbs led listeners to speculate this was Lorde. The hype was allowed to build for a week or two after the album’s release, but then who should show up on a remix of the track before giving her side of the story and agreeing to be pals at the end? You guessed it. This whole drama sent both artist’s fanbases (which share sizeable crossover) absolutely bananas.
Surely there can’t be more?
There are honestly tonnes of details I’ve elected to not mention, because I really do believe there’s a point where investing in things too much can grossly hinder your enjoyment of them. And, if my general experience of this campaign is anything to go by, the people who have read this far will probably already know everything I was going to say anyway. To those folks, I’d encourage you to employ some theatre of the mind and imagine I’d written about them. For the rest of you, I appreciate you trooping through to the end with me.
Featured image: BRAT album cover / Charli XCX
