Clairo has come a long way since her debut. Where ‘Immunity’ traded in hook-heavy, scratchy bedroom-pop, she has followed up her acclaimed 2021 record ‘Sling’ with her most fully realised album yet. Each track on ‘Charm’ is brimming with full-bodied, rich instrumentals produced in collaboration with Leon Michels, whose past attachments to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and The Black Keys offer a glimpse of its palette.
Steeped in sunny moods, it feels like ‘Charm’ has arrived at the perfect time. The opener Nomad’s upbeat slide guitar warbles are juxtaposed with Clairo’s softly sung lyrics of longing. Similarly, Sexy to Someone expresses wanting to be desired by one person in particular, her delicate, whispering vocals accompanied by punchy drums and piano.
Themes of love and yearning are not unfamiliar territory for Clairo, but her approach here feels different — certainly more self-assured and optimistic.
Second Nature and Slow Dance are dialled-back, demure intervals amid standouts such as Add Up My Love. “Honey, was it enough? Is it ever enough?” Clairo muses against the sound of a piano — the repetition of the chorus sounds reminiscent of golden era soft-rock, calling back the heavy ‘70s singer-songwriter influence on ‘Sling’.
This leads into Echo, which teems with retro folk-rock flourishes. It feels darkly whimsical and alluring in tone, and at times it’s indulgently melancholic. “There’s a secret I can’t keep from you,” Clairo sings, mysterious and captivating. While the lyrics don’t give all that much away, they seem to paint a picture of a relationship where she’s not entirely sure where she stands.
The album closes with Pier 4. “Where’s your line, when do you draw? When close is not close enough?” is a beautiful expression of feeling insecure and alone, particularly when in a relationship or at the start of a prospective one. A lot of Clairo’s lyrics are self-critical and many of her songs perfectly articulate feeling like the odd one out. She almost prods us to consider if it is due to this deep-seated self-doubt that she feels unable to be fully present in a relationship.
This is something that is often explored in her music and many of the album’s songs encapsulate those thoughts of uncertainty and unworthiness. This makes ‘Charm’ feel of a piece with Clairo’s past work even if she’s in fresh sonic territory — this is a far cry from her lo-fi early work while still remaining true to the image she’s crafted through her music. Sonically and lyrically this feels like Clairo’s most mature album yet. It’ll be exciting to see what she does next.
Clairo Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri September 06 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Fonda Theatre (USA)
Sat September 07 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Fonda Theatre (USA)
Sun September 08 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Fonda Theatre (USA)
Tue September 10 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Fonda Theatre (USA)
Wed September 11 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Fonda Theatre (USA)
Sat September 14 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Webster Hall - Complex (USA)
Sun September 15 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Webster Hall - Complex (USA)
Tue September 17 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Webster Hall - Complex (USA)
Wed September 18 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Webster Hall - Complex (USA)
Thu September 19 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Webster Hall - Complex (USA)
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