2024’s summer started on a high note with Billie Eilish’s release of her latest studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. From “Chihiro” to “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather,” we dissected the sonic masterpiece one day after the other, with Billie and Finneas breaking records and hitting the top charts one viral moment at a time. Just when we thought it was time to move on, Charli XCX came charging in with BRAT, which we can now describe as a cultural phenomenon rather than just an album.
Suddenly, we were bathed in neon green, walls were covered in merch, and the term “Brat” invaded our vocabulary as quickly and fiercely as EastEnders embraced the word “slay.” It might be time to drop that one, btw. Tank tops, cigarettes, walks of shame, waking up with yesterday’s makeup, sticky dance floors, pink digi-cams — she was everywhere, and she’s so Julia (Fox, of course). Literally, even USA’s VP Kamala Harris couldn’t escape the trend. But like everything else, in a time when our attention span lasts as long as your next Hinge love affair, the fever burnt out, and internet haters were ready to call the end of “Brat Summer.”
Charli says no — and enlists none other than, you guessed right, Billie Eilish to join the chat. The result is, of course, an atomic endeavour: two pop powerhouses creating yet another season anthem. Released yesterday, the track is a remix of BRAT’s “Guess,” and the visuals, directed by Aidan Zamiri, are truly a showstopper.
“Hey Billie, u there?,” Charli starts. In what looks like an empty apartment ready to host a hangxiety-worthy party, the music video also includes a cameo from “Guess” co-producer The Dare, who teamed up with Eilish’s inseparable collaborator Finneas on the hit. The next minute, Billie Eilish, who is signing the project as a featured artist for the first time in her career, is mounted on a bulldozer, crashing through walls and swinging on its blade. She’s ready to take the house (and the internet) down.
Bras, panties, layers of lace, boxers, padding… Billie and Charli are drowning in a ginormous pile of underwear in “Guess.” But before anyone starts a debate around overconsumption and fabric waste, a much-needed disclaimer pops up on the screen. All unworn pieces used in the video were donated to I Support the Girls, a charity that, according to their website, “collects and distributes essential items, including bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products, allowing women and folx experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or distress to stand tall with dignity.” We’re so back, baby.