2024 may have been the year of Brat Summer but it is also the year of Charm Winter. Claire Cottrill, better known as Clairo, delivers her third full-length record, solidifying her reputation as one of pop's most ingenious chameleons. With a sonic and thematic landscape uniquely her own, Clairo colours Charm with her singular soft vocals and lush, rustic, soul-infused baroque chamber pop that feels like another artistic revelation in an increasingly nuanced catalogue.
The album's thematic crux centres Clairo's musings on the intricacies of human connection and self-discovery. The lyricism on Charm delves deep into the aftermath of fractured relationships, exploring the intricate process of personal growth with a poetic touch that invites repeated listens.
Clairo's voice, often multi-tracked and layered, floats effortlessly through the mix, at times blending effortlessly with the instrumentation to become an instrument itself. Sonically, Charm is a warm embrace of nostalgia, drawing inspiration from the rich textures of 70s folk and soul.
Producer Leon Michels crafts nuanced soundscapes that complement Clairo's ethereal vocals featuring meticulously arranged instrumentation-velvety piano lines, jazzy percussion, and subtle woodwind flourishes that lend depth and complexity to each track.
Highlights include the shimmering psychedelia of Juna and the electro-acoustic hum of Echo that infuses a melancholy romanticism into the record Tracks like Add Up My Love & Second Nature lend a breezy pace to the record while still holding Clairo's unbelievably intimate vocal touch. Charm manages to deftly capture the unseen intricacies of wanting desire while staring uncertainty straight in the eye, a tour de force for the singer, though as she would have it, a quiet one laced throughout with wistfulness and melancholia.
By Anish Paranjape
The Department of Entertainment
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