brat summer
In this article, you can read the editorial from our latest newsletter written by Eidolon-editor Endre Cserna, which were sent out on July 1st, 2024. We publish our monthly editor's letters, in which we reflect on recent events, approximately two weeks after the newsletter is out.
If you'd like to receive the latest editorials and other updates on Eidolon's work without waiting, please consider subscribing to our newsletter here!
Dear Eidolon Readers,
Charlie XCX's latest studio album, titled "brat," was released on June 7th. The British singer's album received excellent reviews—not only for its progressive hyperpop aesthetic pioneered by the PC Music label and art collective led by producer A.G. Cook, which now defines mainstream music trends, but also for the decadent, hedonistic atmosphere intrinsic to the material, which resonates very well with audiences. The exaggerated 2000s nostalgia of "brat" is palpable in its millennial rave music influences and the album cover's minimalistic, pixelated, and blurry style. This design, crafted by the New York City-based studio Special Offer Inc., resembles the early web-pages and low-quality images from before the era of high-resolution phone cameras & Retina displays.
brat's marketing, beyond more conventional elements, also embraced a very forward-thinking approach: building an internet cult around Charlie's image for the "chronically online" young audiences who value nothing more than honest and raw authenticity—or at least the credible appearance of it. The singer's TikTok channel and a burner Instagram account named 360_brat posted numerous videos where the artist, in her "brat" persona, can be seen either participating in studio sessions, parties or belting out catchy snippets of the album's tracks—resembling a wasted friend texting you in the middle of the night or walking home in the morning after a heavy night of clubbing. These videos are presented as unvarnished, heavily flash-lit, and shaky selfies. Though they may be meticulously crafted by a marketing team, they resemble the videos we all send to group chats, creating an atmosphere of accessible, shareable, recognisable and most importantly memeable content.
While a blog post asserts that "to have a Brat summer is to be as loud about your insecurities as you are about your accomplishments," we at Eidolon office resonate deeply with this sentiment. We would even extend it to the realm of imagery: embrace your imperfect selfies and candid snapshots to cultivate a summer of self-confidence. In this context, a recent article in Eidolon Journal by Urbantsok Tímea explores the history and applications of the snapshot aesthetic in both art photography and commercial media, meanwhile our team is diligently organising our second talk event, which will centre on everyday photography within the frameworks of late capitalism, consumer culture, and social media.
You can find all previous editor's letters at this link.
