The announcement of Clairo’s third studio album Charm has been long awaited since the release of Sling in 2021. Ever-evolving from the release of her first album Immunity in 2019, the sound of Claire Cottrill has ranged from bedroom pop to soft-rock, and then to 1970s folk; with fans speculating where she would next take her music, she and producer Leon Michels find inspiration in ‘70s-inspired jazzy soft rock and influences from the likes of Joni Mitchell and The Beach Boys. With hushed vocals and a production brimming with warmth, Charm dives deep into explorations of shameless desire and vulnerable affection, examining the self and what it means to be certain of what you want.
In the album’s opening tracks and two singles, ‘Nomad’ and ‘Sexy to Someone’, Clairo starts the album on a sombre note: she admits favouring being involved in a relationship – even if that means not being loved fully – rather than never knowing the person at all: “I’d rather be alone than a stranger.” In ‘Sexy to Someone’ this idea persists, and Clairo explores a desire to be desired: “Sexy to somebody it would help me out/Oh it’s just a little thing I can’t live without.”
She explains how being perceived as desirable consumes her every thought – “Sexy is something I see in everything/Honey sticking to your hands, sugar on the rim” – though she wishes someone would see her the way she sees them. The two singles pair perfectly as openers, setting the personal tone of the record with a transition from mellow musing to rich and jazzy confession.
In ‘Second Nature’ and ‘Juna’, Clairo explores the highs of love with whimsical instrumentation and steady rhythms: she sings “And once you get in my ear/I see kismet sinking in/It’s second nature”, detailing how tuned in she is to her partner, to the point where loving them is automatic. This connection is echoed in ‘Juna’, where she expresses how well-known she feels in her relationship, sparking elation and the comfortability to be intimate. “With you there’s no pretending/You know me,” “You make me wanna go buy a new dress/You make me wanna slip off a new dress.” – the lamenting of Clairo’s previously desired desire in ‘Sexy to Someone’ is met here with sultry vocals and a newfound confidence in vulnerability. ‘Juna’s lively synths and shimmery keys are accents on this track that I love, and personally think embody the full, fun sound of Charm as a whole.
‘Slow Dance’ captures Clairo’s uncertainty in the connection she has with a partner, questioning, “What is it that’s keeping you alone/And leaving after we slow dance?”. She comes to terms with her own struggles with openness in past relationships in ‘Thank You’ – “I put my pride on the line/‘Cause When I met you I knew it/I’d thank you for your time”: although their connection has ended, she’s thankful for the impact the other person has had on her. In ‘Terrapin,’ Clairo strips back the complexities of love into an exploration of the simplistic beauty of life. Its candid lyricism and minimalist sound flows beneath soft vocals, “Simple thing, I don’t need much to like,” – an appreciation of the world around her alongside a relationship.
‘Add Up My Love’ is by far a personal highlight from Charm, with a vibrant sound and desperate emotional core, reminiscent of tracks like ‘North’ and ‘Bags’ from Immunity, Clairo speaks directly to her lover and wonders about the mutuality of their relationship. “Do you miss my hands hangin’ on the back of your neck?” Her frustration of feeling inadequate for her partner flourishes into a lush chorus of keys, vocals and wind instruments, “Honey was it enough?/Is it ever enough?”
In ‘Echo,’ the album’s instrumentation falls into spacey synths. Cottrill’s vocals fade in and out of focus as she laments the private nature of her relationship, “Our love is meant to be shared/Whilst our love goes nowhere.” It’s possible that this track is about Cottrill’s fame as an artist and her conflict of wanting to be open about her partner with the world, but not wanting to compromise their love as a result. The penultimate track, ‘Glory of the Snow’ follows the struggle of finishing a relationship but not being able to fully let go, and in ‘Pier 4’ Clairo rounds off the album with a thoughtful self-examination – “And now I’m too tough/From close being just too much.” She expresses the growth she’s made from her past relationships, but where in ’Nomad’ and ‘Sexy to Someone’ there is a want to be wanted, she realises how being too close to another person has made her shut herself off from them.
Charm is by far Clairo’s most captivating work yet, tackling the complexities of love with an alluring maturity, and viewing the self through a lens of growth and gentility. Having followed the course of her career thus far, where bedroom-pop hits like ‘Pretty Girl’ have refined into studio albums Immunity and Sling, it’s a treat to see where Cottrill takes her music and threads together her influences and different strains of sounds.
