In the beginning of June of 2024, Charli XCX released her sixth studio album, “Brat.” Hits like “360” and “Club Classics” captured listeners with their fast pace and catchy lyrics. Little did she know, she would be taking the world by storm with this new drop. Charli would change the way that people saw the color hex #8ACE00 forever. Her album has since been expanded to include remixes of tracks, and featuring a wide range of artists. Among those artists, Charli features Ariana Grande, The 1975, Bon Iver, and more. However, one feature stood out to listeners around the world.
“girl, so confusing featuring lorde” is a remix of the original song “girl, so confusing” where Charli explains her conflict with singer Lorde, known for her album “Pure Heroin” and songs like “Supercut” and “Ribs.” They hash out their industry related problems. Always feeling competitive and unwelcomed towards the other, Lorde and Charli explain their sides and then end the song with “And when we put this to bed, the internet will go crazy,” and the internet did.
At this year’s Coachella, Charli XCX ended her set by projecting the words “Lorde Summer” onto her stage. This is after the announcement of Lorde’s latest album set to be released this summer. While brat summer revolutionized neon green, revived the sound of techno and rave music, and brought back clubbing culture, Lorde summer may be very different. Charli XCX and Lorde have completely different sounds, with Charli’s music appropriate for a boiler room party, and Lorde’s music for early 2010’s nostalgia, and the drive home from the beach as the sun sets.
As the 10 year trend cycle continues, 2014-2016 is in again. This can be seen in the fashion trends and music from this time resurfacing right before summer. Many associate these years with ‘better times’ and Lorde might bring us back to said times. Her latest single “What Was That,” is what Daisy Jones from Vogue describes as, “breaking your phone and not caring about it. It’s meeting some hot guy and then never speaking to him again. It’s leaving a party on a Lime bike just because.” Lorde summer will be filled with whimsy and freeing the leftover teenage angst a lot of listeners have. This will be by going out because they want to, being into fun and romance, but not the kind that leaves you heart broken, growing out your hair and not cutting it because it’s too much of a hassle.
Lorde summer will flip brat summer on its head and be more reminiscent of the outro to Charli XCX’s song, “party 4 u.” Lorde summer is the leftover confetti on New Year’s Day, the aspirin fizzing in your water as you reminisce about the night before, the missing items from your purse when you wake. Lorde summer is brat summer’s older, calmer, sister who finds joy in small things, not just the huge boiler room sets, illegal activities, and speeding in lavender Lamborghinis (Vroom Vroom by Charli XCX reference). Many of us cannot wait to see what Lorde has in store for us this summer.
