Track 11: Sympathy is a Knife - Charli xcx
One voice tells me that they laugh...
“AOTY. Masterpiece.” That’s a text from my brother when Brat came out earlier this summer. "I like Charli just fine, but he’s a superfan. Plus he’s gay! So call me the skeptic straight who was all like “we’ll just see about this Brat album.” We all know how that turned out by now.
I don’t know if it’s my favorite album of the year, but it’s certainly a masterpiece and the best album Charli’s made to date. It’s also certainly one of the best albums of the year. It’s so amazing that when it came time to highlight a track on this portion of the mixtape, I struggled. I feel like Tik Tok has Apple played out beyond belief, but it’s such a clever song about looking at your parents and trying to figure out how not to become them. Pair it with I Think About it All the Time and you have two companion songs that show a real thoughtfulness and self-reflection amidst, well, Club Classics (get it?) like 350, Von Dutch, 365, and more.
But Sympathy is a Knife is the first song that made me sit up and go “holy shit.” Those stabbing synths. Those painful vocals. The ache in Charli’s voice when she sings “I couldn’t even be her if I tried.” I’ve never heard her this vulnerable, and to allow her self-doubts to shine through on an album that’s all swagger and confidence takes a certain kind of bravery. Here’s a soon to be superstar creating a sick beat around her fears, coming right out and saying “compared to her, I’m nothing. They’re laughing at me. They’re mocking me. My boyfriend doesn’t even believe me.” And she is so convincing, so sincere, and the music matches her intensity so much, it’s an emotional juggernaut.
Other songs on Brat make you dance. Some make you feel. Sympathy is a Knife does both and does both very very well. You might want sympathy from others, but you’re not going to believe it. Sympathy is just a lie, it’s just a knife. Nothing else to do but dance those doubts away.
Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Spotify.
Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Apple Music.
