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From her 2019 debut Immunity, Clairo has gathered millions of listeners who searched for a modest soft-rock escape. Finding her niche somewhere in the triangle between Phoebe Bridgers, Carole King, and Norah Jones, Clairo is an artist with easy confidence in her sound, lyricism, and vocal performance. Clairo marks her return with Charm, her third studio album and first album in three years-- and Clairo's timeless sound and a new sense of lightheartedness prove the third time's the charm.
Stand-out tracks: "Sexy to Someone" "Thank You" "Juna"
My favorites: "Nomad" "Slow Dance" "Add Up My Love"
The sonic landscape and thematic tones of Charm are established through prereleases "Nomad" and "Sexy to Someone." Clairo opens the album with an unpretentious hope for easy companionship while owning up to the fact that she feels a sense of freedom in her own isolation. Groovy percussion, sweet and supple vocals, and a refreshing lyrical quirkiness modernizes 70s-style soft-rock with an empowering female influence.
Despite its lightheartedness as a complete project that melts into its late summer release date, part of me wishes Charm had been released on the cusp of the fading of summer into fall; piano-guided "Slow Dance" is one of those tracks that fits the aesthetic of cozy wool and warm tones of the leaves. It almost mimics the changing of the seasons in its story of a relationship changing over time:"When the moon begins to hide/It's not over/And the window turnin' light/Does not mean goodbye." But it also sees Clairo accepting that change can ultimately result in demise: "And, too, when candles burn out/And the record is faded down/I know you've got people to turn to."
Sonically and lyrically, "Thank You" feels distinctly like a nod to Carole King's "Too Late." The track is simultaneously softly cheeky and vulnerable, acknowledging the role of relationships on the journey of self-discovery. One of those relationships being the one that has Clairo cooing, "I don't even try/I don't have to think/With you, there's no pretending" in "Juna." Simple and romantic, this is Clairo at her most sunny and laid back, complete with a stunning instrumental outro.
Dipping her toe into something poppier with "Add Up My Love," Clairo hides her exasperation and hurt in the aftermath of a relationship that went up in flames behind a blase vocal line: "If I could wait for a time/To be mad about it, mad about it/I'd choose a day when you're on your way/And I can say it all to your face." After the moody lull of "Echo," Clairo reminisces on a love in which she felt desired and safe in "Glory of the Snow."
The final notes of "Pier 4" draw the full scope of Charm together: "When close is not close enough/Where's the fun in it? And now I'm too tough/From close being just too much." From its rich instrumental cohesion to it's vulnerable and fresh storytelling, Charm is simple and timeless. It never really has a standout moment that attracts attention, but seeing as the album is an intimate invitation into Clairo's most human of dreams and desires, Charm settles right into the title of a charming coming-of-age classic.
AM I OBSESSED?
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