Charm By Clairo
"Pretty Girl" to "Sexy To Someone"
I turned on Clairo’s new album Charm for its first listen three weeks ago when my flight was canceled due to a backfired computer update. I sat on the train impatient and upset. So, I listened to Charm because I knew anything Clairo would soothe me. The album struck me immediately with Clairo’s patience, comfort, and confidence. The first track “Nomad”, released as a single before the full LP, quickly introduces the listener to the subby bass and soft twinkling guitar, which brings out Clairo’s whispery vocals and sets the mood for the rest of the gracious album. Looking out the train window, I sat and thought about Clairo's fantasy of losing everything to become nomadic. She describes throwing her phone off the boat, and taking a ship around the world. In this case, Clairo is wishing to become nomadic in order to escape a lonely feeling. The song maps out the struggles of being noticed by someone. She sings that she would rather wake up alone than live with heartache. “I'd rather be alone than a stranger / You'd come visit me late at night / I'd rather wake up alone than be reminded of how it was a dream this time.” Clairo continues to grasp at the intrigue of attraction while also reflecting on her past relationships in this album.
The entirety of the album follows the feeling of being charmed or charming someone. None of the tracks describe wanting a serious long-term relationship or even a tumultuous breakup, instead they describe the feelings around meeting a stranger. Clairo said recently in an Apple Music interview that this is how she hoped the album would come across. She wanted the listeners to feel that stomach-fluttering feeling of the flirtatious unknown. “Sexy To Someone” was the first single released by Clairo since her album Sling. When I first listened to the track, I was surprised by Clairos's honesty and ability to say exactly how she felt. She desired to be sexy and for someone to think of her in that way. The “Pretty Girl” we all know has become “Sexy To Someone” and therfore Clairo is becoming more Claire Cottrill.
She also mentioned in that interview that compared to her other albums, she was writing Charm while listening back to a lot of older Clairo discography. I believe she wanted to show a more obvious tie to her younger self. Through Charm, you can hear and see the ways that Clairo has grown into a woman. On the track “Thank You” Clairo thanks a past relationship for its time. While this may ride on the line of sarcasm, she does admit her faults in this song, “I really hate to admit it / I put my pride on the line / 'Cause when I met you, I knew it / I'd thank you for your time.” Compared to Clairos other projects, she has become more reflective and honest with herself. Having conversations with fellow fans of hers, we’ve all also commented on how beautiful and confident she is in her album promo. Even the album cover shows a different side of Clairo to what we’ve seen before. Only being a few years older than me, I can relate to the ways Clairo embodies her feelings— big, new, and intimate. In my young adult life, I too am exploring my confidence and style. This album helps me remember how sexy and charming I can be!
For this album, Clairo worked with Leon Michels, an American music producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist to make Charm come to life. He’s best known as the leader of the soul project El Michels Affair and a co-founder of Big Crown Records. Michel’s soul and hip-hop influence came through in Clairos's songwriting for this album. I hear these songs in my ear while at a bar watching others dance or walking down the street thinking about each person who passes. Not only do the lyrics produce this charming feeling, but the instrumentation plays a significant role too. The groovy breakdowns, saxophone melodies, flute accents, and piano solos are reminiscent of a jazz record from the 70s. A lot of the instrumentation credit can go to Michels as he is experienced in jazz, funk, and hip-hop. The instrumentals around Clairo's hushed and captivating voice, makes the more spirit-driven musical background fit perfectly for this album.
Photo From Leon Michels Instagram
The swinging dinner party track “Second Nature” opens with Clairo singing relaxing dums in your ear. A closer listen will lead you to hear laughter on a loop in the background. The lyrics speak towards the feeling of distraction when crushing on someone so hard that it becomes second nature. “Like the sap from a cedar rolling down to be near her / It's second nature” Clairo uses the phrase second nature to illustrate how uncontrollable the fluttering feeling in your stomach can be. It just comes so naturally. In a short interview with Margeaux (@marg.mp3), Clairo called out “Glory Of The Snow” as being the album's most underrated song on the album. So, I want to give it the attention it deserves. She said that the song was heavily inspired by the cover of “Seabird” by Innovations. The bouncy instrumentation, almost identical bassline, and joyful singing patterns create a fraternal pair. The lyrics of Seabird tell a story of someone who wants to say goodbye but can’t work up the courage—“Seabird seabird / Fly home / You’ve been away from land too long” Instead it haunts them and it grows more difficult to make the right decision. “Suddenly, you're with me / I turn, and you're not there / Like a ghost, you haunt me / You find warmth in a one-night bed” Clairos subject for “Glory Of The Snow” is very similar as she battles with the same feelings of letting go or holding on— “I can feel there's something in the between / For a moment, I heard you talking to me / When I drive, I always check over the seat / I could see you right there, waiting on me.” Even the rhyme scheme is similar— “Seabird seabird / Fly home” > “Glory of the snow / I’m waking up and now I know” Who’s gonna make the mashup?!
A lot of fans, including myself, were quickly drawn to the track “Juna.” After the release of the album, Clairo and her band performed on “Juna” on The Tonight Show. Clairo was wearing a black dress with flats and sang with her arm behind her waist. Her shy and soft demeanor reminded me of live performances by Mazzy Star. The song has a catchy beat and entrances you with the first words Clairo sings, “Come to me slowly.” In the background, you hear a delicate piano line and a jazzy bass-line. Clairo leans into the sexy and feminine tone of the album singing “You make me wanna go dancing. You make me wanna try on feminine. You make me wanna go buy a new dress. You make me wanna slip off a new dress.” When she sings “slip off a new dress” her tone shifts and her voice gets lower as if she is keeping a secret. In her live performance, she articulates “slip off” by speaking it instead of singing. For Clairo, these lyrics and this songwriting are forward. Something we haven’t heard from her till now.
As I finish up this article in a small coffee shop, the track “Slow Dance” plays on what I guess to be a soft indie morning playlist. This track has a smooth drum beat, lingering piano, and pretty flute melodies. Compared to the other tracks, Clairo sounds more candid than usual describing a relationship where her partner has one foot out the door— “leaving after we slow dance.” This track feels similarly candid to the last song on the album, “Pier 4”. Clairo dives into her role in relationships and being fearful of vulnerability. Bringing me back into my tear-filled eyes and finally making it off the train, this song impacted me in ways that feel difficult to describe. I instantly related to the scary feeling of being vulnerable with even the people I am closest to. “Oh you're just playin' dumb / What's the cost of it, of being loved / When close is not close enough?”
Charm has easily become one of my favorite albums of the year and (without any nostalgic impulse) my favorite Clairo project. Leon Michels’ production could have overpowered Clairo's vocals and lyrics, but together they balanced each other out and made a perfect pair and created a work of art. It’s apparent how much work, love, and passion they put into Charm. Clairo has given us her most authentic and vulnerable self with this project and has aged artistically like fine wine. It’s more of a Charm summer of you ask me :)