Brat Summer Was Fun, But It’s Time for Something More Mature

Have you had a nice Brat summer? Or was it more of a Cruel one? Maybe it was simply femininomenal. Or perhaps it was a bit more caffeinated than that.

From Charli XCX’s sixth album and the record-breaking momentum of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour to Chappell Roan dominating the charts with seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and Sabrina Carpenter’s summer anthem “Espresso,” the past few months have been heavily influenced by female pop stars.

Such is the cultural influence of these women that it’s not entirely absurd to think they could impact the upcoming US election. Kamala Harris’s campaign has cleverly embraced both Charli and Chappell’s pop momentum to add coolness and relevance, while a hoped-for endorsement from Swift might genuinely encourage many young people to vote. Taylor Swift’s colossal impact on pop culture needs no further explanation: the Eras tour is a defining moment of this century.

Which is all…great. What kind of sour-faced misogynist would oppose the celebration of the creative power and commercial success of these brilliant young women? But as summer comes to an end, I look forward to a Swiftless September (the Eras tour pauses before the final US and Canada leg in the autumn). The idea of putting away summer hits like Carpenter’s “Espresso” brings a sense of relief. Pack away your Brat uniform – I, for one, am eager for a change.

For me, the struggle with this summer’s pop extravaganza isn’t due to the music itself. I adore the album “Brat” and have been yearning for Charli and AG Cook to achieve mainstream success with their postmodern pop. I haven’t minded “Espresso” being a constant earworm. I find Chappell Roan’s chamber-pop to be refreshing and fun. While I’m not a Swiftie, I can acknowledge that she is a technically brilliant songwriter.

The issue lies in the hysteria and dominance of these artists. The seemingly mandatory adoration of these pop stars is something I’ve encountered both in the media and in real life. It feels frustratingly immature, particularly when combined with the simplicity of the music itself. Good pop is meant to be simple and accessible – that’s how it gains mass appeal and typically targets a younger audience. The Swiftie friendship bracelet trend is almost prepubescent, complementing her back catalogue, which is cleverly produced but not particularly challenging.

Carpenter’s “Espresso” is a proud example of triviality, while Kelefa Sanneh in the New Yorker highlighted Charli’s tendency to “exaggerate the seeming mindlessness” of pop. He also linked the album’s scrappy, offhand nature to Rebecca Black’s 2011 single “Friday,” a song ironically embraced by hyperpop fans, underscoring how Charli taps into pop’s juvenile side.

The new status quo – where relatively childish music is treated with uncompromising enthusiasm by adults – marks the peak of poptimism. It’s been 20 years since Sanneh’s New York Times piece outlined the backlash to “rockism,” the belief that authentic, guitar-based, typically masculine music was superior to synthetic, commercialized, generally feminine pop.

In the following decades, the poptimist movement, advocating for equal respect for pop, has gained traction. In 2004, Sanneh lamented that “rockism just won’t go away.” Now, it has. After this summer’s non-stop coverage and reverence for Swift and others, the insistence on pop music’s respect has reached its zenith.

The panic that poptimism has gone too far has been discussed for years. In 2014, a New York Times article by Saul Austerlitz titled “The Pernicious Rise of Poptimism” argued that it had become almost sinful not to show adequate respect for pop. By 2017, Michael Hann in The Quietus asked, “Is poptimism now as blinkered as the rockism it replaced?”

One concern was that poptimism encouraged a lack of critical thinking. Another was that criticizing pop artists – who tend to be young, female, and more diverse than rock acts – could be seen as sexist or racist. The idea that you might be canceled for not liking Beyoncé might seem exaggerated, but the power of fervent fanbases threatening critics is real and highlights the childishness entwined with this pop moment.

Criticizing poptimism often sounds curmudgeonly, but arguments from the 2010s still resonate – particularly the notion that commercial success equates to quality. Yet, there are counterpoints (Saul Austerlitz questioned whether adults whose job is to thoughtfully review music should so frequently agree with the tastes of 13-year-olds. But what about 13-year-old metalheads and indie fans?).

It’s clear I’m craving some maturity. While artfully done basicness has its charm – like last summer’s Barbiemania – it should remain seasonal. I’m not advocating a return to rockism but wouldn’t it be satisfying to find a middle ground when it comes to the music that dominates the cultural conversation?

Source: The Guardian, New Yorker, New York Times