Claire Cottrill, known musically as Clairo, is an American singer/songwriter often described as a bedroom pop artist. After gaining traction from “Pretty Girl,” she released her debut album, Immunity, in 2019. This brought her major successes, and she continued to inspire the indie-pop scene. Her relatability as a twenty-something that is also going through life, but just making music from it, gives listeners an attachment that can’t be broken.
Released on July 12, 2024, Clairo’s third studio album, Charm, co-produced with Leon Michels, plays nice. The kind of simplicity and capacity to charm, or be charmed, reveals nuances of self-discovery, human connection, and the idea that love is ubiquitous. I always conjure up a24 indie-film stills when I listen to certain songs. To me, Charm is an entire film in itself.
According to the singer’s Instagram post of the debut, side A consists of “Nomad,” “Sexy to Someone,” “Slow Dance,” and “Thank You,” while side B consists of “Terrapin,” “Juna,” “Add Up My Love,” “Echo,” “Glory of Snow,” and finishing with “Pier 4.” The whole album connects effortlessly, drawing on Clairo’s trademark indie-pop dreamscape.
Singles “Sexy to Someone” and “Nomad” foreshadowed what themes would be found in the album. “Sexy to Someone” subjects the listener to Clairo’s fantasy of being attractive in another’s eyes. While the title is stark, the lyrics suggest a subjective view on existing for the human gaze–at a bar, park, or hotel.
“Sometimes sexy to someone is all I really want.”
“Nomad,” on the other hand, is an ode to solitude. Loneliness outweighs being unwanted in this story. Running away seems like the obvious choice to preserve one’s heart, considering the emotional ambiguity of hoping and losing connection with a partner.
“But I’d rather be alone than a stranger”
Each track tells a personal story of its own. Clairo’s haunting vocals with instrumental backings of the guitar, keyboard, flute, clarinet, and saxophone (an instrument she formally learned in the fourth grade) makes for an album to indulge in both musically and lyrically.
I am in full admiration of Charm‘s attention to detail involving complex vocal layering and staggering like in “Terrapin” or “Juna” to emphasize fleeting thoughts. Clairo’s ability to blend her words with jazz and folk-influenced melodies add beautiful texture to each song.
“Pier 4” rounds out the album, enclosing thematic elements of a lover’s nostalgia and subsequent introspection in a bubble. Her uncomplicated guitar persona with light harmonies gives an acoustic sentiment that touches on past experiences, ultimately making her grow thick skin.
Like I noted in Daybreak’s mid year album recap, this album encapsulates “fleeting inner fantasies.”
Listen to Charm by Clairo on Spotify:
rachel liu
As a girl in her twenty-somethings, Rachel enjoys the creative fantasies of writing and listening to music. She began her journey in the digital music space as a writer for blogs under Laura’s playlists and is continuing under Daybreak.
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