Charm is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Clairo, released on July 12, 2024. The follow-up to her second album, Sling (2021), it is her first self-released studio album after her previous two albums were released by Fader and Republic respectively. Clairo produced the album alongside Leon Michels with musical contributions from Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss, Marco Benevento, and Dave Guy, among others.
Charm received critical acclaim, with music critics praising its production, songwriting and Clairo's musical expansion.[3][4][5] Commercially, it debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200, becoming her first top 10 album.[6] Although never released as a single, the track "Juna" topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in early August, after gaining traction on TikTok upon the album's release.
On July 16, 2021, Clairo would release Sling to critical acclaim, appearing on numerous "best albums of 2021" lists.[7] Critics praised Sling for Clairo's artistic progression and thematic songwriting that ponders future motherhood, domesticity and the responsibility of becoming a caregiver.[8][9] Clairo embarked on the Sling tour in 2022 in support of the record.[10] During the tour, she suffered from sinus infections and an ear injury, before finishing the tour on October 4, 2022.[11][12] In 2023, aside from collaborating with artists like Phoenix and Beabadoobee,[13][14] Clairo also released two charity singles on Bandcamp, "For Now" with all proceeds directed to Everytown for Gun Safety and For The Gworls,[15] and "Lavender" to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders during the Israel–Hamas war.[16] A live EP, Live at Electric Lady, was released on May 12, 2023.[17]
In January 2024, Clairo started teasing a new album with a post on Instagram, captioning it "maybe this year".[18] In March, she shared an Instagram post captioned with emojis depicting the number three, a check mark, and a purple heart.[19] The post was interpreted by music publication The Forty-Five to mean that her third studio album was complete.[19] On May 7, she revealed a release date of May 23 for her new music via Instagram Stories.[20]
On May 23, Clairo announced that the album, titled Charm and produced by Leon Michels, was scheduled for release on July 12, while releasing its lead single, "Sexy to Someone".[21][22] A press release accompanying the announcement of Charm described the album as "a collection of warm, '70s-inspired grooves that move lithely between jazz, psychedelic folk and soul".[2]
Clairo performing at the Fonda Theatre, September 2024
The first single from Charm to be released was "Sexy to Someone" on May 23, 2024.[26]Uproxx described the track as "flirty" while Rolling Stone said it was "a summer stunner with cozy production and whimsical instrumentation".[27][28] "Nomad", the record's second and last single, was released on June 28, 2024.[29]
On May 29, Clairo announced two residencies for September in support of the album.[30] The Los Angeles residency took place at the Fonda Theatre, while the New York residency will take place at the Webster Hall.[31]
On July 17, to promote the album, Clairo performed "Juna", the seventh track of the album, live at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[32][33] On the same day, she also announced the dates for her upcoming North American tour that will be held from September to November 2024.[34] The tour is supported by singer-songwriterAlice Phoebe Lou as the opening act.[35][36]
On August 4, the music video for "Juna" was released.[37] It marked Clairo's first music video in six years and is wrestling-themed.[38] After gaining traction on TikTok, "Juna" topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in early August.[39] On December 3, Clairo shared the music video for "Sexy to Someone".[40]
Charm received critical acclaim upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82.[42]
Slant Magazine writer Nick Seip described the record's production and instrumentation as "its secret weapon", and favorably compared the voice of Cotrill on the track "Terrapin" to her "early history of singing over lo-fi beats".[53] Marissa Lorusso, for Pitchfork, also noted the album's resemblance to her earlier work, while sentencing that it doesn't have the "dramatic shift" in the manner of the singer's sophomore record, Sling, nor "Immunity's kinship with bedroom pop", yet a "successful but polite soft-rock outing."[4]
The Daily Tar Heel's Alexis Clifton highlighted Charm's "whispery jazz, soft rock elements, groovy orchestral motifs and undeniable warmth", and stated that it is essentially a "falling in love" album which "lies in between" of the themes of its predecessors: Immunity's youth and Sling's "multifacetedness of growing old".[54]
On a more mixed-to-negative review, Paulo Rogasa, writing for Consequence, felt that, although the record does show Cotrill's music maturity, specifically on its "musical arrangements", her "pillow-soft" vocals strip some of its songs "of their emotional exterior", exemplifying it with "Sexy to Someone", a track that, he said, is "devoid of desire" in its delivery.[55]
^Horowitz, Chris Willman,Jem Aswad,Thania Garcia,Steven J. (December 13, 2024). "The Best Albums of 2024". Variety. Retrieved December 14, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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