Sweet or sleepy?

Review Score:

B

July 13 / 2024 –

Clairo nails the feeling of whimsey on Charm.

Much like with Sling, I had to sit and let this album wash over me. Clairo’s newest project indulges in the same soft sounds as her previous one – a direction I’m glad she decided to take once more. But while the last project relied mostly on simple acoustic sounds, Charm sees Clairo diving a little deeper. The harmonies feel a little more lush, the instrumentation a little more daring. The opening track, “Nomad” is one of the album’s highlights. “Sexy to Someone” is one of the more energetic tracks. But after this, the album becomes a little more hit or miss. 

The vocals on some songs tend to walk a fine line between sweet and sleepy. And sometimes they push in the direction of sleepy a little too much for my liking. One review, which I apologize for not being able to cite, noted that Charm seems to be lacking in the dynamics department. Maybe it’s a sequencing issue or a production issue or something I’m too musically inept to put my finger on. But regardless, this album can easily strike you at the wrong time of day or in the wrong mood and feel rather…unengaging.

Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy Charm. The writing remains stronger than her debut, though I’m not sure Charm packs the same emotional punch as something like “Blouse”. Regardless, Clairo has demonstrated considerable growth as a songwriter since her bedroom/bubblegum pop days. And while “Pretty Girl” holds a special place in my heart, I her past two albums to be much more engaging.

Clairo surrounded herself with strong musicians for Charm. Because really, it’s the instrumentals that are the standout here. And it’s often subtle. Clairo’s voice blends in to the mix like she’s just another instrument in the band. “Terrapin” is the prime example of these team-effort sort of tracks. Here, Clairo lets the pianist, Marco Benevento, share the spotlight for a while. The percussion from Lee Falco is excellent here as well. Leon Michaels, renowned multi-instrumentalist, was crucial to many tracks on the album. In many cases, I appreciated the weirder sounds Clairo chooses. “Echo” makes use of a synth that evokes an almost Halloween-esque feeling. Like Sling, Charm feels like fall (I almost wonder if this album will hit me harder when it isn’t 85 degrees). The album cover does, somehow, look exactly how I expect it to sound. And sometimes I just…look at it for a while.

The album doesn’t finish as strong as it starts, but still has a good amount to offer on its latter half. I see this growing on me with time. Which is good, because as it stands, I already enjoy it a fair amount.

Review Score:

B

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.