American musician Clairo first gained popularity in 2017 when a video of her singing her single, “Pretty Girl” went viral on YouTube, garnering over 100 million views. Since then, Clairo has produced new music every couple of years to wider and wider audiences. Charm, released on July 12 and is the latest addition to her discography. With an exciting worldwide tour starting early this month, this record is perhaps her most genre defining yet.
Clairo’s gentle, romantic sound is accompanied by rock-inspired drum lines and graceful piano riffs. The entirety of Charm—as well as most of Clairo’s other albums—has this fuzzy, muted tone, creating a home-video feel throughout the listen. This has aptly coined her the term “bedroom pop” to describe this sort of retroness. Charm, however, has more dreamy jazz elements than anything else Clairo has previously done.
The first track, “Nomad” is an existential look on isolation and striving for kinship: “But I’d rather be alone than a stranger/You’d come visit me late at night.” The song is about wanting to be known by whoever, rather than never being known intimately by anyone. It’s a sweet requiem to the nomadic lifestyle of retired wandering. The sleepy hum she sings through is gorgeous against the otherwise sad lyrics. “Nomad” sticks out to me because of its poetic imagery and exploration of human connection: “I’d run the risk of losing everyone/I’d sail and say my phone was overboard.”
Another syrupy love song: the fourth track, “Slow Dance” is my favorite on Charm. It’s about being in an uncertain relationship, one that she prioritizes while the other does not: “And what is it that’s keeping you alone/And leaving after we slow dance?” Because Charm was recorded on analog tape, that muzzy overlay shines in this song, especially since the saxophones and vibraphone take a back burner. It’s intimate and beautiful, with simple instrumentals and a complex chorus, petering out to a repetitive: “I know you’ve got people to run to.”
The last track on the album, “Pier 4” is an excellent closer to “Nomad”. It ties the established themes of connection and loneliness up nicely. In “Nomad” Clairo yearns for a life of anonymity, while “Pier 4” criticizes that disposition: “You’re just playing dumb/What’s the cost of it, of being loved.” This provides a linear and more developed ending to the record.
Charm is a peaceful and refreshing album to transition into colder weather with. Clairo’s really came into her own and nailed down a style that compliments her so beautifully. I’m beyond satisfied with Charm and think it’s a great edition to her previous two studio records, Sling in 2021 and Immunity in 2019. All in all, I really recommend listening to Charm as well as visiting Sling and Immunity because the three fit together wonderfully in the perfect trifecta of autumnal melancholy.
