Review: The ingredients of Charli XCX's latest album, Brat, are clear, but intriguing: dance-pop songs arranged and sequenced to make it sound like a "club record" (a nod to her roots performing at London raves as a teenager), with lyrics and vocals that are in turn "aggressive" and "vulnerable". This approach - dance-pop with genuinely soundsystem-friendly weight - pays dividends. For proof, check recent singles '360', where Charli XCX's attitude-laden vocals rise above punchy beats, deep bass and eight-bit synth sounds; the deliciously up-tempo, grandiose and brilliantly bonkers 'Club Classics' (mutant garage meets everything-but-the-kitchen-sink peak-time madness); and growling EDM-pop of 'Von Dutch'.
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