Summer 2024 gave the people what they wanted- three fulfilling months of Charli xcx’s “BRAT,” Billie Eilish’s “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” and anticipation for Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short and Sweet.” Within the wraps of media and album consumption, singer-songwriter Clairo emerged with an uncut gem. Mid-July, her third album “Charm” took flight and soared to the tops of charts, undoubtedly defining the season. Between quiet choruses and raunchy openers, Clairo explores themes of desire, isolation, and the all-too relatable trope of being charmed.

Claire Cottrill, known professionally as Clairo, welcomed listeners with her first song “Bubble Gum” in 2015. Pacing frequent singles with an active online presence, she then released her first official EP in 2018: “diary 001.” Throughout this three-year time period, Clairo formed a niche fanbase, filmed messy YouTube music videos, and eventually coined the term “bedroom pop.” The genre can be identified through lo-fi elements and the homey, independent way in which the music is produced. Following her projects in that era, her first critical step towards stardom was taken with the release of her debut album “Immunity” in 2019. An artistically complex masterpiece within itself, songs “Bags” and “Sofia” gained recognition across the globe, the latter of which earning her a spot on Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. After taking a short break between projects, she furthered her popularity and relevance online with her next album “Sling,” which was released in 2021. “Sling” is filled from start to finish with gut-wrenching, melancholy lyricism, embodying the bleak absence of life that accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside the innately sorrowful writing of “Sling” came a shift in tone, a side of Clairo unseen before the album’s release. The album defined her artistry and pushed her perception beyond the boundaries of bedroom pop, leaving fans craving more. “What now?” they wondered. Radio silence. For three tediously long years, Clairo waited, and did so relentlessly. Dedicated fans waited with her, though as the months of 2024 droned on, many began to ponder the gravity of her alleged “break.” Then, as though no time had passed, she announced in May of this year that her latest work “Charm” was set to be released two months later. Accompanying this jaw-dropping information was the single “Sexy to Someone,” which immediately skyrocketed across multiple platforms and gained intense popularity. Come July 12, when “Charm” was finally released, Clairo once again redefined her musical genius and left the industry in awe of her transformative career.

With a run time of 38 minutes, “Charm” is a feat of genre-hopping innovation. From the get-go, Clairo makes it clear that this piece is for the yearners of the current generation, for those craving delicate connection. Her introductory song “Nomad” claims the lyrical resonance of feeling untethered and helpless outside of a relationship, with its chorus defining the difference between anonymity and abandonment. The following track, “Sexy to Someone,” furthers her drastic conversion from previous works. Exploring themes like sensuality and desire, Clairo touches on topics she’s never been open about before. In a conversation with Interview Magazine, she refers to long-time influence Margo Guryan (folk singer-songwriter) and her role in the process of subtlety within songwriting: “Her vocals are very close to the microphone and she’s talking about love, but it’s never explicit. There’s something that’s left to be desired, which really resonates with me. I want the audience to understand that, with me, it’s never going to fully be given.” She revisits these themes in the seventh track of the record, “Juna,” delving further into her own elusive intimacy. Also heard within the bossa jam of “Juna” is the inevitable experimentation of nonconventional instruments, leading to a beautifully groovy jazz feel of saxophone and trumpet harmonies. One of the most entrancing aspects of this album is hearing Clairo take advantage of her fluency in clarinet and, in turn, finding some form of multi-instrument composition in nearly every song. Though she explores captivatingly new ideas across the entirety of the work, she doesn’t entirely desert her past self; the final track is almost intentionally reminiscent of that of “Sling.” The 11th song and closer of “Charm,” “Pier 4” reminds listeners of Clairo’s roots in softness and quiet vulnerability. The piece is an intricately placed string that gently connects her songwriting back to the fundamental time of loss and isolation that so pivoted her career three years ago.

“Charm” invites listeners into a space of their own desires and delicacy, ranging from upbeat cravings to mellow pinings. The impact of this release is monumental, as it sets in stone the marvel of Clairo’s musicality. It combines nostalgia with grateful acceptance of the present moment, pits maddening isolation against sheer giddiness, identifies the beauty of a calming love, and most prominently charms all those fortunate enough to listen.