REVIEW: Clairo’s “Charm” is a Breath of Fresh Air

By PAULINA MATA/Social Media Manager

Clairo reinstates her reign over indie-pop in her third album, “Charm,” pairing her iconically relatable writing with a playful and fresh sound. Since its release on July 12, “Charm” has earned over five million streams on Spotify.

“Charm’s” 11 tracks are a sweet respite from the current chart-hungry climate of pop music. While Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” or Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” are fun and loud songs to jam out to with friends, indie-pop artists like Clairo provide music for the chiller moments of summer.

“Charm” doesn’t need addictively catchy choruses (anyone else still stuck on “that’s that me espresso?!”) because it captures listeners with its diary-like writing and lush production. 

All 38 minutes of “Charm” are a reflection of Clairo’s growth as a person and musician. From Clairo’s lo-fi bedroom pop single “Pretty Girl” to the creation of her first two albums “Immunity” and “Sling,” the 24-year-old has come a long way since producing songs on GarageBand. To bring “Charm” to life, Clairo worked with producer Leon Michels over the course of the past three years. 

“Nomad,” the first track, opens with a twangy guitar and Clairo’s signature soft voice –  a warm welcome to old and new fans alike. She builds up to the chorus by singing, “I’d run the risk of losing everything / Sell all my things, become nomadic / I’d run the risk, and just in case I might / Sell all my things and become the night.” 

Clairo knows if she were to indulge her desire for connection with someone, she would have to experience the emotional pain that comes with it. Though the solitude of loneliness is just as painful, it’s the better choice. 

She explains finding this balance in the chorus, picking up the pace with the lines, “But I’d rather be alone than a stranger / You’d come visit me late at night / I’d rather wake up alone than be reminded / Of how it was a dream this time.”

In “Sexy to Someone,” the second track and first single, Clairo furthers the exploration of wanting to be wanted. The song glamorizes the idea of being desired and Clairo sings with a hopeful yet dejected tone, “Sexy to someone, I think about it all / Checkin’ out of the hotel or moments at a bar / Ask if I’m in a movie, no, I didn’t get the part.”

ROMANCE

The album carries a playful and, dare I say, charming attitude towards romance all throughout. It’s hard to take Clairo’s musings seriously when she has upbeat drums or a mellow flute backing her teasing tone. 

She really only sobers for the final track, “Pier 4,” where the tonal shift of the first verse cuts right through “Glory of the Snow’s” upbeat outro. 

Accompanied by only guitar, Clairo acknowledges the growth she’s achieved from past experiences. She closes the album with the lines, “Oh, it’s somethin’ you’ve done / Opened my hands and I know I’ve shut some / When close is not close enough / Where’s the fun in it? And now I’m too tough / From close being just too much.”

SUMMER

“Charm” is summer incarnated into an album with production that makes you want to put on your beat up Converse and go on an afternoon stroll through your favorite city. Little moments on each track – Clairo humming in “Echo” or the fun piano lines in “Thank You” – make the songs feel as if you’re in the recording booth with her. 

The album keeps the mellow and haziness of “Immunity” and “Sling” that is so undeniably Clairo, but with a freshness of confidence that elevates her to a whole new level of artistry. 

“Charm” comes up short in no aspect, and will have seasoned fans and new listeners alike reaching for the replay button. It’s an instant classic and a sure-to-be stand out in both Clairo’s career and the indie-pop scene for years to come.