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In early June, British pop singer Charli XCX, aka Charlotte Emma Aitchison, released Brather sixth studio album, quite awaited because for about ten years she has been one of the main interpreters of hyperpop, an eclectic and experimental electronic pop very much in vogue. The reviews at Brat have been generally positive, and alongside those for Charli XCX have come many celebrations for AG Cook, the English producer who in recent years has distinguished himself for his unconventional approach to pop music and who has overseen the production of most of Aitchison’s records.
But to help the success of Brat it was the unusual cover that was decisive, which in recent weeks has been shared a lot on social media, reinterpreted in memes and photomontages, printed on flags, in a process of collective appropriation that does not seem to be over yet. Its popularity and the enormous curiosity it has generated are due above all to its minimal and deliberately sloppy style. In essence, it is an acid green background on which the title of the album is written in lowercase and with an overused font (Arial Narrow), so grainy that it seems like a printing error.
In an interview given to the Singaporean edition of Vogue, Charli For this reason she opted for a color that she considered to be “an offensive and disturbing shade of green, which could trigger the idea that something was wrong” in those who looked at it.
The cover was designed by American costume designer and designer Brent David Freaney, who had already worked in the past on artwork – as the external appearance of a record is called – which had generated much discussion on social media, such as that of Endless Summer Vacation, the latest album by American pop singer Miley Cyrus.
The emphasis on the low quality of the cover played an essential role in the launch campaign of Brat, and Aitchison played on its intentionally ugly aesthetic. For example, after the album announcement, Aitchison posted on his social channels brat generatoran application that allowed you to write any word and have it appear on the album cover in the same pixelated font. The brat generator contributed to the increase in popularity of the cover, and was used by thousands of users on social media. Aitchison herself used it to write aoty (acronym for “album of the year”). Some users have noticed that the brat generator it will also give a particular aesthetic touch to Aitchison’s concerts, because fans will most likely use it to create imaginative messages to be displayed during the concerts.
Aitchison is 31 years old, and for at least a decade she has been considered one of the main exponents of hyperpop, an energetic and fast pop contaminated by various electronic subgenres, from dance to acid house. She began her career at 14, publishing her songs on her MySpace: initially she made herself known by performing at several rave parties near London, and in 2011 she gained some notoriety in her homeland thanks to the single “Stay Away”. Before Brathad released five other albums: True Romance (2013), Sucker (2014), Charli (2019), How I’m Feeling Now (2020) e Crash (2022).
