Claire Cottrill—or Clairo as fans know her onstage—released her third studio album Charm earlier this summer. Charm was highly anticipated, as it is the first album Clairo has released in three years. She released two singles before the album’s full release on July 12th of this year. These singles, “Sexy to Someone” and “Nomad” encompass the album quite well, offering a preview into the themes of desire and longing that ripple throughout the entirety of the record. However, these songs are also quite distinct, each focusing on a different aspect of these central themes. While “Sexy to Someone” is an account of longing to be desired, “Nomad” focuses more on the urge to isolate yourself to avoid heartbreak. These two tracks are in direct opposition to each other, exemplifying a sense of cognitive dissonance that is present throughout the album, which seems to flip back and forth between craving and rejecting love.
Clairo’s maturation is reflected in her musical growth. From its seductive album cover to its flirty lyricism, Charm is sexy and fun—a huge shift from the lo-fi bedroom pop style seen in Clairo’s first album Immunity. Even her second-most recent album Sling gives off a very different, more melancholy vibe than Charm. While the album’s title mirrors its charming, whimsical nature, it also implies that the third time is the charm—in that Clairo’s third album is the one that truly and fully encompasses who she is. Charm itself is a reflection of her past relationships and experiences, including her identity as a musician and her relationship to her music. She has evolved both as an artist and as a person.
In her years of music production, fans have seen many facets of Clairo’s musical abilities and interests. It is intriguing to see how she has evolved and shifted between different genres. With Charm, Clairo has introduced yet another era of her musical prowess. As a whole, I believe this album is best described as an indie-rock record with jazzy undertones, a genre that suits her gentle, feminine voice perfectly. Femininity also plays a huge role in Clairo’s music, in that she more naturally gravitates away from it, yet feels pressure to conform to it simultaneously. In one of Charm’s hit songs “Juna,” lyrics depict the singer wanting to “try on feminine” for her lover. This is reminiscent of one of Clairo’s older songs “Pretty Girl,” in which she confesses to the subject of the song, “I could be a pretty girl, I’ll wear a skirt for you.” In Charm, Clairo seems to succumb to her femininity somewhat—and realizes that she may even enjoy playing this part.
It would be remiss of me not to delve deeper into Charm’s seventh track, “Juna.” Fans took a liking to this song instantly, a fondness that Clairo seems to share seeing as she delivered a music video for it—the first one she has released in five years. This song is lyrically and instrumentally beautiful, providing an intimacy that renders listeners weak in the knees. Her vocals become an instrument themselves, layering delicately with the keyboard, percussion, and brass. Such details as her use of mouth trumpet, which smoothly transitions into a full-blown trumpet solo are what make this track such a memorable one.
One of my personal favorites off the album is track three, “Second Nature.” This one is a soft, intimate account of feeling destined to be with a certain person. The lyrics are beautiful—like each and every song on this album—and the background vocals add so much dimension, including the playful laughter that can be heard at the beginning of the song. While one could argue that many of Charm’s songs sound similar, I believe it is these small distinctions that set each one uniquely apart. Additionally, I find that the cohesiveness of the album makes for an enjoyable listening experience and helps embody its exploration of similar themes in contrasting ways.
I truly do not believe there is a bad song on this album, but there are certainly some more noteworthy tracks. Another song that has quickly gained affection from fans is track eight, “Add Up My Love.” This song delves into the feeling of reminiscing over an old relationship, including the sting of doubt over wondering why you weren’t enough for the other person. Though the subject matter of the song is somewhat downcast, the more upbeat melody and instrumentals offer an ironic contrast that has brought fans to their feet, dancing. One of the more underrated songs, as Clairo herself has noted, is track ten, “Glory of the Snow.” This song references glory-of-the-snow flowers, a plant that blooms early near the very end of winter, and dies out before the beginning of summer. These flowers exist in a state of transition between seasons. In “Glory of the Snow,” Clairo cleverly utilizes these flowers as a metaphor to illustrate the transition from heartbreak to healing and moving on from a past relationship.
I wish I could say that the state of mental and emotional dissonance present throughout this album is ultimately reconciled, but unfortunately, that isn’t the way life works. And Clairo acknowledges this fact with Charm’s heartbreaking final track, “Pier 4.” This song is beautiful and tragic in representing the experience of trying to tamp down the feeling that you will never be enough—and that nothing will ever be enough for you. It is the perfect full-circle closure to this rollercoaster of emotions that both begins and ends with loneliness—the bookends to an epicenter of unmatched heart and humanity.
If my review isn’t evident enough, I love this album. I love it for its beautiful vocal and instrumental quality; I love it for its cohesiveness in sound yet diversity in meaning; and most of all I love it for its appreciation of intimacy. I love to see female artists—especially queer female artists—embracing desire and sexuality in their music, which is so often frowned upon in the music industry. Charm holds a special place in my heart; I’ve had it on repeat ever since it came out and I am overwhelmingly excited to be able to see Clairo perform live on her Charm tour next month. This album may not be for everybody, which I can fully respect. But I do believe in its power to cut deep—in a beautiful way—for those it does happen to touch.