Welcome to the ‘bratosphere’
Despite releasing on June 7, 2024, Charli XCX’s sixth studio album, brat, swiftly sparked a colour trend (which, mind you, we still cannot unsee). Even though we are way into the month of red, we cannot fathom not being obsessed with this ‘off-putting’ colour. But don’t take it from us; take it from the numerous merchandise, fashion, and cuisine influenced by the album cover’s eye-catching neon green background.
What is ‘brat’?
Charli XCX is an English singer-songwriter. Although she recently performed at the NY Times Square as an impromptu whimsy, she began as an esoteric artist. With the recent rise in niche music, we are not surprised that Charli is one of the artists topping the charts and going platinum.
The music industry has heavily relied on cover art for promotion and to capture eyeballs. However, ‘brat’ is unlike any other music cover that we have seen thus far. May we say it’s 365 on our mind? But why is this cover art making everyone go crazy? The reason lies in its genius packaging. It is simple. On a background of neon green (hex code #8ACE00), the low-resolution word brat (in Arial) floats simply.
Who designed ‘brat’ Green
Special Offer, Inc., a studio based in New York City, created the artwork and packaging for brat. They looked for the most diabolical shade of chartreuse green, ending up with Pantone 3507C (from within 500 variations of the colour). According to founder, Brent David Freaney, the month-long deliberation took inspiration from all the green in NYC that could fit into the ‘bratosphere’
Thus far Charli had observed that green was heavily overused in fashion and the media. She stated, “I wanted to go with an offensive, off-trend shade of green to trigger the idea of something being wrong.” brat Green is forceful and direct, much like the slime green Nickelodeon used to attack its celebs. This colour is rich, intense, and brilliant, while still registering the aesthetics of a trashy party girl. It has a flatness that makes it ideal for colour field paintings, black light dance parties, and the meme-fication of life.
From Album Cover to Pop Culture: ‘brat’ Green Takes Over the World
The colour has risen from the iPhone text bubbles and has since become 2024’s favourite colour. The colour has been featured by The New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s official X account when they used a green brat graphic to notify commuters of train repairs. Even Golden Globe-winning actor Kyle McLachlan shared a (un)official music video of himself wearing a fluorescent green shirt and lip-syncing to Girl, so confusing.
It has even infiltrated the world of VP contender Kamala Harris. After Joe Biden pulled out, Charli XCX declared “Kamala IS brat.” Soon after, there were memes and incredibly quick t-shirts featuring Harris’ name in the style of the brat album cover. Harris’s official X account featured a brat-style banner soon thereafter. The political brat discourse also infiltrated her Instagram.
It even broke the Google trends with the constant outpour demanding #bratsummer. Brat was also the 2024 word of the year (according to Collins Dictionary), which describes it as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.”
More Than a Colour; It’s a Lifestyle
While brat undeniably began with a colour; it quickly rose to become a lifestyle. Charli XCX told the BBC that “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra” are the essentials for a brat girl summer. Adopting brat culture is the simplest way to interact with the under-30 demographic at the moment, and it is fundamentally about being messy, imperfect, and self-accepting. It also leans into the Y2K aesthetics, which was the pinnacle of pop music.
In a way Charli XCX has fast-tracked, what it takes brands years to do; associating colours with an identity. So whenever you’d see someone down the lane rocking a neon green T-shirt, you’d undoubtedly think of Charli and the pop-cultural phenomenon she bestowed upon the world.
Image Courtesy – Joy Sauce
Hi Ya’ll !!
I love writing about pop culture and all things queer.
Sub Editor at Abir Pothi
