Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

When Clairo dropped singles “Flaming Hot Cheetos” in 2017 and “Pretty Girl” in 2018, the internet flocked to her strikingly authentic bedroom pop, a genre gaining popularity. However, in a 2017 Complex interview, Claire Cottrill expressed a desire to “expand” her music beyond the homemade sound available to her at the time.

Over six years and two studio albums later, Clairo has evolved beyond her chill pop origins to an elevated sound on “Charm,” her third studio album. The album, released on July 12, is a welcome return for the artist, who studied from 2017 to 2018 at Syracuse University in the Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries.

In a 2021 Rolling Stone interview, Clairo recounted the moment she realized the “Pretty Girl” video had surpassed one million views on YouTube while at a party at SU. Although she departed from the university after her freshman year, she returned to upstate New York to record her sophomore album “Sling” at Allaire Studios.

Since she dropped “Sling” in 2021, Clairo has been largely absent from the music scene. We’ve not gotten enough of her recently, besides a few memorable singles — including the wonderful “Glue Song” with beabadoobee and the highly-underrated “After Midnight” with Phoenix.

Across its 38-minute runtime, “Charm” pulls listeners into its calming, and, at times, tear-jerking embrace. The album’s production shines, as it masterfully pairs Clairo’s beautiful voice with a set of instrumentals that quirk up the artist’s signature sound.

Although not wildly different from “Sling” or even her debut album “Immunity,” there is a confidence and maturity to “Charm” that suggests Clairo has found her sound at its most fleshed-out stage yet. Co-produced with Leon Michels, the album’s no-skip tracklist is filled with songs that are quintessentially Clairo.

I’ve spent the last few nights falling asleep to the smooth, cohesive melodies of “Charm.” The album solidifies itself as the best sounding in Clairo’s discography, a feat that perfectly complements her pen.

“Charm” may well be Clairo’s best album, and I can easily see it quickly becoming my most listened-to album of hers. It may lack viral hits like “Sofia” or “Bags,” but I expect new, emotionally driven tracks like “Juna” or “Pier 4” to become fan favorites.

As songs off the new album trend on TikTok, some users have begun to declare the summer a “Charm summer,” referencing the “brat summer” trend that has followed Charli xcx’s recent hyperpop sensation, “brat.”

As the trends bring new ears to the album, I anticipate listeners will resonate with its captivating stories. “And when you find you’re at the pier/ Playing out moments when there was a touch,” Clairo sings in “Pier 4.”

The various instruments, mellow drums and catchy compositions of “Charm” drive it forward, highlighting the sharp writing that makes Clairo stand out to fans. Almost acting as another instrument, her voice isn’t overwhelmed by the production like on some of her previous albums.

I can’t get this album out of my head; the soft drum in “Slow Dance,” the piano in “Terrapin” and the bouncy chorus on “Add Up My Love” have replayed on a loop since my first listen.

These sounds keep bringing me back to the album, but it is the cozy nostalgia and emotion brought out by Clairo’s storytelling that make it click. “Charm” is the kind of album that should serve as the backdrop for a night drive in the rain or a quiet morning walk along a beach.

“Every time I see someone new/ I just think of you, nothing I do can help it now,” Clairo sings on “Nomad.” The album gently evokes feelings of hopeless romance and nostalgia for flings of the past.

This album is Clairo at her best — blending the chill of bedroom pop with soft rock and the sad girl sounds that have hit the mainstream.

“I pull on the string that binds me to memories of the way I loved you,” Clairo longingly sings in “Glory of the Snow.”

There has been no shortage of pop music from prominent figures in the industry, but the allure of Clairo’s sound makes her work stand out. While it may be too early to start throwing out album-of-the-year shouts, Clairo’s work has me charmed.

Published on July 17, 2024 at 5:25 pm

Contact Griffin: gbrown19@syr.edu