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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Colgate chapter.

This summer, Charli XCX’s album BRAT dominated the charts, clubs, and summer mindset. The BRAT girl is the quintessential party girl: confident, energetic, unapologetic, undeniably cool, and yes, she knows she’s “your number one”. Unfortunately, the BRAT girl cannot exist forever. Eventually, the party ends, the hangover hits, and then the hangxiety hits even harder. So what comes after BRAT summer?

The morning after a night out, my mind fills with everything embarrassing I said, and then suddenly I’m thinking about everything that has ever happened to me. These thoughts are basically a given as the weather gets colder and the sky much grayer. While I’m sitting with these thoughts, the album that best sits with me is Older by Lizzy McAlpine. Despite coming out last April, this album definitely fits the coming-of-age, somber tones of fall. 

The main album theme is being hung up on an old relationship while knowing that you have outgrown it…relatable. Don’t worry, I’m not saying you have to be sad this fall or live in the past (no shame if you are—I know I am). Older begins with songs like Come Down Soon, which explores the feeling of knowing nothing good ever lasts; sad right? But the album ends on a more hopeful and self-knowing note with Better Than This and Vortex. On these tracks, Lizzy explains how she knows that she and her past love are not meant to be and understands her pattern of returning to him as nothing more than “need[ing] a new song”. 

Ultimately, Older girl fall is about growing and evolving, even if that means leaving behind a more adventurous time. BRAT girl escaped her life for a bit, but her lifestyle was just not sustainable. The Older girl confronts everything that BRAT girl was ignoring. The album ends with the lines, “Someday, I’ll be able to let you go…Someday, you’ll come back and I’ll say no” which isn’t quite closure, but it’s knowing that one day you can find peace on your own. Just in time for a few months of yearning, Older (and Wiser), the deluxe version of the album, comes out on October 4. 

Sydney Graham

Colgate '27

Sydney Graham is a writer for Her Campus at the Colgate chapter. Sydney is also a co-leader of The Network, a club raising awareness about sexual assault on campus, and a member of Active Minds which organizes events during Stress Less Week. She is currently a Sophomore at Colgate University with a Psychology major and Sociology minor. Outside of classes, Sydney loves listening to podcasts, creating mood boards on Pinterest, and going on long walks around campus.