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A poster depicting the track list and cover art of the album.

Although I was excited to see my schedule on Aug. 1, the PowerSchool notification on my phone brought me to the realization that summer was ending. Like many other teenagers, I had not hung out with my friends as much as I had hoped for, and I finally wanted to make the summer count while it was dwindling away. 

So, I invited the gang over to one last get-together, and as someone whose music preferences are very different from those of her closest friends, I attempted to make a playlist that would satisfy all of our contrasting music tastes: girl pop.

I stumbled upon Charm in a last-ditch attempt to add more than ten songs to said playlist. Many may recognize “Juna,” the most popular track on the album, from TikTok (or, in my case, Instagram reels). So, I added the song to the playlist, and although the track was enjoyable, I was told by my friends that it did not “fit the vibe.” 

This may have hurt my feelings, but it has inspired me to create a new playlist a few weeks into the school year, titled “studying pt2” (part one was already taken by a sea of classical music). I found the perfect cover image, which said, “APUSH me off a cliff.” Very fitting.

I am someone who can’t pay attention to her studies when listening to a bop—a good song will entirely captivate me, compelling me to sing and dance along. Hence, the collection of classical music in (the original) “studying.” However, Charm, though catchy and beautifully composed, didn’t drive me to do so, rather assisting me in my rapt attention by blocking out the noises around me.

Clairo’s voice in this album is a soft, breathy falsetto, contrasting with some of her older hits like “Sofia” or “Bags.” Though it may be a little hard to comprehend what she says, the calming, polite tone of her voice makes it significantly easier to pay attention to the Constitutional Convention. The tracks have a generally unvarying feel throughout, with the overall vibe being pretty monotonous but still fun to listen to. Charm proves that songs don’t need a distinct, intense climax in order to be well-composed.

Additionally, most tracks in this album have much fewer lyrics than the average song. The instrumentals, while beautiful in their own right, don’t distract me from whatever information I’m consuming—for now. I can tell when an artist puts time into the composition and arrangement of the instrumentals rather than just trying to make Billboard’s top 100. That being said, Charm did debut at number eight on said list, becoming Clairo’s first top-ten album.

My absolute favorite track in Charm is “Add Up My Love,” a vulnerable song where Clairo processes the emotion of a recent breakup, wondering if her ex is feeling the same things. Though a fairly stereotypical subject of a song, the track is fun and enjoyable nonetheless. Looking at the lyrics now, I realize how tactfully the lyrics are sung regarding the rhythm and melody. At face value, the lyrics are simple and blunt, but combined with the melody, rhythm, and instrumentals, the track is genuinely quintessential.

Another stand-out song is “Slow Dance.” This is another example of a unique melody and rhythm, but not without its pensive lyrics. “And, too, when candles burn out and the record is faded down / I know you’ve got people to turn to,” referencing the creeping realization that after a few months of Clairo’s relationship, her partner will have gotten bored and turned to someone new. 

Though Charm seemed dull at first, I have no doubt that as I listen to this album over and over again, from Columbus’s first voyage to the Biden administration, the lyrics, melody, and rhythm will become imprinted in my brain, and I will no longer be able to ignore the feather-light, enchanting pull of its charm.