#until next time

Cuddles you while we are still aware

another and you're gone

my heart races

you think you know why

but you can't.

because I don't.

a taste of crimson

bitter, metallic, yet—

a taste that leaves me

wanting.

the rush of wind,

a leap into still waters,

a touch below the surface

your touch.

and then the moment ended

too soon or not soon enough?

greetings everynyan! uhhhhh last friday was day 17 of summer piledriver and for that day we are talking about brat by Charli XCX! i didn't hear it in 2024 when it was a whole big thing so i figured i'd listen to it now and have my own fucking brat summer with nobody else in the world because i'm late to the party.

so uhh i went into it like around 37% ironically expecting it to be slop internet phenomenon with the music mostly absent but dude ts is actually like really good. it really makes no attempt to appeal to mass pop fans even thou they all ate it up. i really enjoyed the electronic sound i mean what a way to do it.

also i know absolutely nothing about charli xcx i understand she's had like an entire career up to this point but i seriously am completely unfamiliar. all i know is that this record rules. it's a dance pop record with exceedingly sharp production to the point i'm really shocked it appealed to so many people that one summer.

where the album really clicked for me is the songwriting. underneath all the partying and confidence and obnoxiously catchy hooks there's actually a surprising amount of insecurity on this thing. charli spends a lot of the record talking about jealousy, self-image, fame, getting older, constantly comparing yourself to everybody else....,,.… it's way more vulnerable than i expected and i really liked that.

good lord the production though i really feel like every beat was engineered for maximum peam. there's so many glitches and textures that do nothing but add to the songs. i only heard this record but charli has been pretty cemented in my mind as a titan of pop music.

it has been brought to my attention that the track So I is a tribute to the late producer Sophie which i really admire. it's a really courageous and emotionally raw thing to do, it wasn't just a tribute for the sake of a tribute i really liked how Charli discussed the complexities of their relationship and expressed regrets. bro the line where she wonders if she would like this one really got me.

btw this album is best experienced loud as shit. i first heard this last week in my car but hearing this again in my headphones (i like to listen to the records i'm reviewing while reviewing them) is kinda the shit. they're genuinely cooking down there.

overall i totally get why ts became a huge cultural event. also i know brat summer became like a total meme but i really think the message i got from the record is way cooler than that. it's basically 'maybe you're a little insecure and messy but so what, you can still dance hard as shit' i feel like i can really identify with that and so does probably like everyone else.

thank you Charli XCX

FAV TRACKS: 360, Club classics, Sympathy is a knife, Talk talk, Von dutch, Everything is romantic, Rewind, So I, Girl so confusing, Apple, B2b, Mean girls, I think about it all the time, 365

LEAST FAV TRACKS: I might say something stupid

welcome back everynyan! day 16 of summer pile driver, here goes!

today's discussion is about heat death of the universe by Dead Butterflies. it's a 24 minute album from 2025. i saw this one was the #2 ranked electronicore album on rym and i clicked on it over the #1 ranked album because it had a really awesome album cover i mean look at ts.

also the name is pretty good. it's an emo album and naming your shi heat death of the universe is just cheating i mean instant theming. dude listening to ts i had no clue what to expect it has listed just about every fucking genre under the sun i mean here's what's listed: Screamo, Electronicore, Midwest Emo, Shoegaze, Bedroom Pop, Metalcore, Emo Pop

yea it was pretty emo and hearing some of the songs on the final act of ts was genuinely making me ascend bro. checkered arms and exploding heart syndrome had me locked bro. emotionally, i mean this shit completely rules. emo is not dead guys this was released last year

vocally i really liked the contrast too really liked how a lot of the time there'd be regular emo vocals with a layer of hardcore metal vocals over it i thought it was a good effect it didn't really feel overproduced. i was pretty captivated by that.

shoutout to whoever mixed this because they had to get a genuine jack of all trades for ts. mixing shoegaze in the same song as a metal breakdown. takes skill and it really fits the album ridiculously well. also despite scarlett’s protests this is pretty electronicore.

i think the songwriting also does a lot of heavy lifting for the music especially when the songs kinda lean a little heavy into the genre and you can hear the building blocks. honestly i didn’t ever mind because most of the production and like 100% of the lyrics made it feel like they weren’t just checking boxes

overall this was a really heartfelt record that swung between loud complex mixing and vulnerable midwest emo. this record was an absolute ton of fun.

thank you dead butterflies p.s. is that a reference to sal vulcano’s infamous punishment

FAV TRACKS: ramona’s theme, midnight, star fall on our lonely planet, exploding heart syndrome, checkered arms

LEAST FAV TRACKS: beneath the surface

here goes day 15 of summer pile driver! i sorta thought there haven’t been any summer theme music so i decided to pick the only indie surf/pop on my radar which is Crazy For You by Best Coast. it’s a 31 minute album from 2010 and it’s very full of the warm summer feeling.

hearing some of ts just feels like sunshine hitting your face there’s really not much else like some of the vibes on this shi. also shoutout to the absolute best YouTube comment of all time on the yt music comments section of The End, and i quote:

“I’ve been listening to this album since college, and I realized this was added on here same day as my birthday? what are the odds. I miss listening to you guys, I miss my youth, too. Thanks for being a part of it. 🤍🤍🤍 Hoping you’re all having a blast, which means, sleeping in till late, hanging out with our beloved cats/pets!”

-@user-jb4jr2hq6e

i just uhhhhh idk i just love this feeling. feel very hopeful reading that cus i definitely am having a blast sleeping in till late and hanging out with my beloved cats/pets. i feel really lucky to live my life with people i love.

i love summertime cus every other day i’m out with my friends doing some bullshit. most of the time we don’t even do anything just hang out in one place until like 2am. just feels like damn we’re really doing it we’re all alive it’s a pretty wild feeling i love being mortal

the music on this is pretty standard indie rock/pop with pretty loose summer theming and with some surf style sounds it’s really not terribly special it’s just hitting rn. the lofi sound they’ve got going on makes for a lovely experience that you absolutely can’t miss especially not if you’re in the summertime of your life during the best years of your life like me. also some of the lovestruck yearning ass lyrics really resonated with me too.

i guess the only thing i could possibly complain about is that uhhhh all the songs sound nigh identical. but that’s okay most of the time cus the lyrics are mostly enough to differentiate. mostly. the last few tracks really blended together for me.

overall this record is kinda the shit. i really enjoyed listening to ts and it’s probably gonna be on in my car dam near all the time from now on. lovely lovely stuff highly recommend to all my cool friends (that means you)

FAV TRACKS: The End, Summer Mood, Our Deal, Honey, When I’m With You

LEAST FAV TRACKS: Each And Everyday