It’s becoming impossible to talk about summer 2024 without mentioning Charli xcx’s BRAT. Its abrasive and minimalist lime green branding and existence as a cultural phenomenon has undoubtedly transcended the impact of music alone. While nothing came close to the pure sensation of BRAT, plenty of other albums were released this summer that are worth listening to. Here’s a look into the good and bad of some of this summer’s most anticipated album releases.
Charm by Clairo
Grade: A
Clairo’s third studio album, Charm, finishes what 2021’s Sling started in that it can be aptly characterized as lounge music: it’s mellow and easy to put on in the background, but doesn’t lack her signature concise, tender lyricism and subdued vocal style. Lead single “Sexy to Someone” serves as the record’s weakest link, with repetitive lyrics and bland, flat messaging. The rest, however, is packed with highlights: opener “Nomad” is subtly catchy, being soft yet somehow infectious, and “Slow Dance” is a lyrically anguishing yet cozy standout. While Clairo is sometimes mumbly to an unintelligible extent in “Second Nature,” the song itself employs gentle imagery and flowy scat singing. Third time’s the charm certainly has some truth to it for Clairo, and the album serves as a nice, relaxed accompaniment to end-of-summer days.
Megan by Megan Thee Stallion
Grade: B
Another third album, Megan Thee Stallion’s self-titled Megan, is an excessively raunchy celebration of the rapper’s personality and contact list; there is no shortage of features nor moments ready to be clipped on social media. While lacking major low points, the highs come sparse as well. Most of the somewhat notable moments end up coming from featured artists, whose verses serve as a stylistic break from otherwise thematic continuities. “Spin” with Victoria Monét has some fun melodies and “Accent” with GloRilla is showy and hilarious. But as a whole, the songs are repetitive and would do better on separate playlists rather than packaged as an all-together, immersive listening experience.
BRAT by Charli xcx
Grade: A
BRAT itself—outside of memes and TikTok edits—is just fun. A constant stream of synths and autotune could lead to disaster, but instead creates an unexpectedly awesome pairing to surprisingly vulnerable lyrics. Every song is catchy and distinguishable in its own way, though starter “360,” the jittery “B2b,” and the honest “Sympathy is a knife” are especially fantastic. Charli’s sixth studio album crowns an expansive music career, continuing to push hyperpop and dance music into the spotlight.
I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU by JPEGMAFIA
Grade: A-
JPEGMAFIA’s I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is a harsh, cohesive body of work. Unlike many of the other big albums this summer, there is a clear connection between the songs among their sporadic, diverse instrumentals and sounds. “New Black History” with Vince Staples is easily the best track, being catchy while managing to cram multiple stylistic shifts into hardly two minutes. “Don’t Put Anything on the Bible” and “either on or off the drugs” both stand out as well, with creative lyrics and catchy refrains. Brash drums, melodic backing, vocal effects, and skillful sampling scattered across the project make for an incredibly satisfying and engaging listen.
Big Ideas by Remi Wolf
Grade: B+
Peninsula-raised Remi Wolf’s second studio album, Big Ideas, is impressive and bright. Its loud and fun instrumentals meshed with understandable, vivid imagery create a more optimistic tone than is implicitly sung about. “Wave” has a brash, confident chorus and addictive verses, while “Cherries & Cream” is desperate and self-aware. The album, which expresses a lot of pent-up anger, chaotically jumps around instrumentally before landing on the somber closer “Just the Start,” which is mostly composed of raw vocals and the squeaks of a guitar. The album is, simply put, interesting in all senses, refusing to fade into the background.
God Said No by Omar Apollo
Grade: C+
The production choices on God Said No, Omar Apollo’s sophomore album, are far better than its lyrical content. The subject matter fluctuates between insecurity and confidence regarding relationships, and muttering mixed with a dose of autotune makes every word blend together, neglecting the opportunity to even hear what Apollo is saying. The instrumentals, however, are fantastic—“Less of You” is pacy and light, imposing beats on “How” recover the otherwise repetitive thematic point of heartbreak, and “Done With You” begins whimsically—though it quickly becomes boring.
