In the four months between the release of
Brat
and
brat and it's completely different but also still brat
,
Charli xcx
experienced a truly stunning rise. By capturing the mood of 2024 with
's hedonistic, witty, and heartbreaking songs, she went from an artist who, in her own words, was "almost famous, but not quite" to one with career-high chart positions in the U.K. and the U.S., an entire season devoted to her, and memes so popular they were adopted by national political campaigns. With
xcx
uses her success to continue
's no-holds-barred conversation about fame, feminism, friendship, creativity, and love by imbuing every track with more meaning and more viewpoints.
These reworkings are more than just a bunch of features, though
brat and it's completely different
's guest list is impeccable. It's also studded with friends old and new:
A.G. Cook
joins
to revisit the heartfelt
SOPHIE
tribute "So I," paring it down to little more than fragments of wistful melody and haunting memories. Similarly, the years of friendship between
Caroline Polachek
can be felt on "Everything Is Romantic" as
Polachek
's silky vocals take the track's dreamy introspection to new heights. While nobody could have predicted a
Ariana Grande
collaboration prior to
's release, the megastar's cameo feels perfectly natural on this version of "Sympathy Is a Knife," with the pair finding solidarity in dealing with impossible demands and beauty standards. Likewise,
Lorde
in thwarting expectations of rivalry by working it out on the remix of "Girl, So Confusing," the
song she inspired. Arriving soon after
's first flush of praise, the prowling
Billie Eilish
team-up "Guess" feels like an outlier compared to the rest of
's moodier tone, but it remains a standout and a vital part of the
story.
For some of these more soul-baring remixes,
enlists indie rock stalwarts from the 2000s and 2010s, providing a counterpoint to the electronic sounds of that era that fueled the original album.
Julian Casablancas
helps transform "Mean Girls" into a world-weary synth pop exploration of doomed relationships that's of a piece with his latter-day work with
the Strokes
the Voidz
; while
Bon Iver
steers "I Think About It All the Time" toward more conventional-sounding balladry, its mood still cuts to the bone. At its best,
's numerous and varied collaborators reflect
's grasp of pop music's history as well as how easily she moves between different creative circles.
Robyn
, the godmother of the candid, inventive pop
excels at, reminds listeners that she's been "killing this sh*t since 1994" on the pumping remix of "360." In turn, when
brings an up-and-coming artist like Spanish rapper
bb trickz
onto an even tighter incarnation of "Club Classics," it feels like she's passing the torch to the next generation. Much more than a victory lap,
enriches the
listening experience and the understanding of
's artistry. Fans know she's deserved this level of acclaim for years, but the creativity and generosity on display here is more proof that it's high time mainstream finally caught up to her. ~ Heather Phares