Month two!! WOOO!! This installment is going to be prettttyy groundbreaking. In all of Music of the Month history (one month), I have never been split between two albums. My personal Barbenheimer if you will. On one hand, we have Brat by Charli xcx. A cultural reset from a steadily present icon who is finally getting her well-deserved flowers. On the other, we have Kansas Anymore by Role Model, a white boy who just learned how to play the guitar.
I wrote A LOT, so apologies in advance.
Album of the Month
Brat
Charli xcx - 2024
15 songs
Duration: 41 mins 30 sec
Genre: Hyperpop
⋆top songs⋆
Third Place:
Mean Girls
Runner Up:
Apple
First Place:
Von Dutch
The album that made me run so hard that I tore something in my knee.
Charli xcx has been in the game since 14, performing at raves in East London. From detesting pop music to defining it, Charli, originally an alternative rapper, has written some of the biggest pop songs in modern history. Boom Clap, I Love It, and Fancy, to name a few.
After spending more than half of her life in the music scene, she feels like she can finally write the songs she wants to write. She didn’t worry about mass appeal when writing Brat, yet (ironically enough) this is her most successful album yet.
Something I love about Charli’s work is that she has a very distinctive sound without being repetitive. Brat reminds me of all of the best songs from my high school years (probably because she wrote all of those too) and it brings me so much joy. She has truly perfected the art of making someone want to dance.
A huge factor in this album’s success is that the concept of "brat" has become a trend of sorts. A lifestyle, if you will. Think: a messy girl who loves to party, endearing yet volatile, definitely craves cigarettes the second alcohol hits her system. But guys, this isn't a restrictive list! You just have to match that aura. If you get it, you get it!
Charli herself is very in tune with pop culture as a consumer, so it's no wonder why she's able to add to it so well. Her lyrics are so vulnerable, so relatable, and so so catchy. It almost feels like diary entries with beats that make you want to run so fast you tear something in your knee. I can't emphasize how stupid it is that this happened to me.
Her collection of it-girls puts Thanos and his stupid stones to shame. The 360 video alone has got to set some kind of record. Additionally, she did a collab with Lorde on the Girl, so confusing remix - both sharing their candid thoughts on each other and ‘working it out on the remix’. Charli’s ability to bring Lorde out from the void she lives in is a testament to her power.
Forewarning, this is very dance-pop/electronic and not everyone's cup of tea! It wasn't mine at first until I couldn't get Apple out of my head. Charli uses heavy autotune and some songs are mostly spoken word, maybe a nod to her rap beginnings? Idk! Some songs break the classic pop mold and I love it.
Kansas Anymore
Role Model - 2024
13 songs
Duration: 41 mins 29 sec
Genre: Alternative/Indie, Pop
⋆top songs⋆
Third Place:
So Far Gone (ft. Lizzy McAlpine)
Runner Up:
Writing's On The Wall
First Place:
Look At That Woman
A practice I want to get better at is separating the art from the artist. In this case, Role Model, aka Tucker Pillsbury, was in a 3-year relationship with it-girl extraordinaire Emma Chamberlain. Despite the relationship having a massive amount of eyes on it, they remained pretty private. That privacy is challenged by this album, which talks extensively about his perspective on their split that happened last year.
Now, it would feel too gossip column-y if I analyzed the songs in the album and made judgments about either of these people. I do not know them in real life nor do you (unless you do… then hmu).
In recent decades, the separation from an artist’s work and their personal lives has become nonexistent. Examples include but are not limited to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Billie Eilish. These people have their songs viewed as press statements as opposed to an artistic interpretation of their thoughts, feelings, and lives. If I dissected every Emily Henry book looking for clues matching her real-life relationships, that would put me on par with a stalker. These musical artists tell stories with their albums/songs - sometimes pulling from life experiences, sometimes just needing a rhyme.
It’s not easy. I constantly find myself analyzing the artists based on their lyrics, sometimes forgetting that they're a real person. For this newsletter’s sake, I am going to be referring to Role Model as the character or speaker in the story of this album and Tucker as the creator behind it.
A little bit about this Tucker guy: born in Cape Elizabeth in Maine, went to Point Park University to study film, and stumbled upon making music with his friends his freshman year. Was practically failing out of college while making an EP when Mac Miller & his manager at the time, Q found his song stolen car. They flew him out to LA, got him signed to Interscope Records, and thus his music career took off.
I find it amazing that he started making music just by chance and so much later in his life than most musical artists. That, his charisma on camera, and his music videos are all reasons why I love & respect his work.
Kansas Anymore, his sophomore album, is a beautiful story of a young man dealing with a breakup, insecurities, and struggling to fit into a new life & culture. Similar to last month's album, I’m a huge fan of the flow between songs here. The rising and falling tempos and themes throughout the album are seemingly effortless.
The first half of the album looks back on the end stages of a relationship. The perspective is interesting to me - it’s as if the ‘speaker’ accepted the fate of the relationship while still in it. Instead of making any progress on himself, he simply thinks “I’m a piece of shit, she’s an angel. This is just who I am, she deserves better. Why can’t I change?” To protect himself, he uses a “keep smiling, no worries” mentality (represented by faster tempos in Scumbag and Superglue), yet that depression still creeps in (seen in Oh, Gemini and Frances).
The bouncing back and forth between these songs perfectly portrays the wavering between the denial and bargaining stages of grief. Once we enter the center of the album, we meet the center of the problems. The Dinner reflects on this person’s struggle with the culture in the entertainment industry. They just want to go back home, back to when things were simple. It’s hard to maintain a relationship while trying to find out who you are and navigate a toxic, disingenuous environment.
The happy-go-lucky facade fully cracks at the end of ‘Deeply Still In Love’. This song is nearly manic, with huge energy despite being about a depressing situation. The last ~30 seconds symbolize the come down from a deep denial high - flowing right into the interlude which represents depression and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
We are then BLESSED with a Lizzy McAlpine feature. With her most recent album also being about a gut-wrenching breakup, she is the perfect company to have here. The rest of the album handles the person entering acceptance - coming to terms with losing the love of their life … so far.
Okay, whoops. Not me writing a full dissertation on this. Let's move on!
Music Videos
I fucking love them. If I could pick my dream job, it would be creating music videos. They are a magical way to bring music to life and have transformed how I feel about certain songs. The four music videos from this album are all perfection. A good video can add to the story of a song, making me love it 100 times more. The Look At That Woman music video has been added to my Hall of Fame:
still feel. by half alive
Sorry by Justine Bieber
Hard Times by Paramore
Look At That Woman by Role Model
The Kiss of Venus by Dominic Fike
I would love to hear if you have a favorite music video, too. In fact, I would love to hear about any music suggestions you have! Please share them with me here!
Sara's Spotlight
Devon Again... again
Guys!!! I cannot stop listening to her music. Cherry Cola is everything! I'm a huge fan of the lyric video lol. She doesn't have a complete album out yet, but I compiled all her songs in one place and it flows nicely like one. She has a hilarious personality and an undeniable talent. Really looking forward to her becoming a big hit someday.
on my rotation
Role Model - duh
Charli xcx - duh
Devon Again - duhhhh
this video of Andrew Barth Feldman and Sarah Hyland singing "Somewhere That's Green". I feel like I don't need to explain.
"Running fast and kicking ass" playlist - .... not listening to this anymore... for obvious reasons.
Okay pals, that’s all for this month! Like I said before, if you have a music suggestion leave it here please :)
Here’s where you can find all of the Music of the Months on my website & leave comments: collection
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sorry music video mention I know that's right