Clairo Charms Us With Her Maturity in a Newfound Whirlwind of Sound on Her 3rd Studio Record
Graphic by Sofia Giarrusso
By Sam Shipman
Charm The long-awaited third full-length album from singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill, performing as Clairo, has arrived.
Charm follows 2021’s Sling, a folk/rock-based record produced by Jack Anatoff, who sharply rose in popularity from his work producing for Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey. Anatoff’s production skills earned him the Grammy for best producer in 2023, and he’s also known for his band, Bleachers, which brings a modern indie-tinge to the classic New-Jersey-Springsteen-esque sound.
Despite Anatoff’s wide range of musical escapades, Sling earned mixed reviews from Clairo diehards who dislike the shift in genres from “bedroom pop” to the more folk-inspired sound. Since Sling’s release, Cottrill has been creatively quiet except for an EP of live recordings from the legendary Electric Lady music studio in 2023 (A place where some of Charm was recorded). This EP features new live compositions of various songs from Sling as well as “Bags” from the widely celebrated 2019 record Immunity. These new live interpretations give the tracks more instrumental depth and texture through jazz-inspired solos, and via the band’s layered but skillfully blended sound. But fans awaited something new, and on March 1st, Cottrill delivered: a surprise Instagram post featuring her playing the flute heralded a third record.
The question in many minds: Would Cottrill continue to pursue the hopeful, bubbly, and poetic sounds of the post-covid era found on Sling, return to the pop earworms that slingshotted her into stardom in 2019, or formulate a completely new sound that branches off from the former projects entirely?
The answer is the latter. Charm comes to us as Cottrill hits 25 years old. She is no longer the newcomer who drew in a generation with her relatable lyrics of “Pretty Girl,” or ‘Sofia.”
Ahead of Charm’s release, an interview in Crack Magazine discusses how she views her previous albums, “Honestly, I look back at those two records and see someone trying to become an adult and doing it in front of a lot of people.” It suggests that Cottrill believes Charm is the first album she’s created as an adult.
Cottrill is evolving into adulthood and reflects this in a new release with layers of lyrical complexity that are significantly more nuanced and poetic than before.
In the opening track “Nomad,” Cottrill attempts to explain the idea of love without explicitly saying any word related to the idea of being in love.
Oh, where you hid the key?
It's even irrational for me.
It's chemical, obsessed
I'll blame you for locking me in
With such a pretty and melodic opening lyrically and instrumentals taking a backseat, one would think Cottrill might attempt to let her ability as a songwriter take the helm on “Charm,” but it’s exactly the opposite once you progress past the opening.
Charm is a record that showcases Cottrill expressing herself primarily through the world of music she builds around herself, while still featuring the iconic vocals that make each song undoubtedly her own.
Cottrill created Charm with the veteran music producer, Leon Michals, who has a laundry list of production credits, with Norah Jones’ Visions as his most recent production work.
Charm’s strong point is its production, for instance, the drumming chops stand out by having a spacy sound that draws the listener in but doesn’t overpower any of the tracks. This hypnotic, jazz-inspired drum work is most notable on “Terrapin” which marries the song with delectable and airy piano flourishes.
Furthermore, any wind instrument or horn you can think of surfaces on this album in all sorts of places but it never once feels like it doesn’t belong. One thing to understand with this record is that Cottrill doesn’t let her talent step in the way of fully painting her world of sound on Charm– while she is directly responsible for the flute and clarinet on the record, she doesn’t get cocky about her ability or shove herself into the spotlight, she adds the brush strokes of sound where it feels right, and keeps going, collecting the help of her bandmates when appropriate.
We can compare the way Sling is produced vs Charm. In 2021 on “Bambi” Cottirll’s vocals pave the way for a majestic horn section to welcome the listener into the journey that is Sling. In “Juna” on Charm, Cottrill’s direction lets the horns and wind instruments tickle your ear as you journey through Charm’s world discovering pleasant surprises on your roughly 40-minute expedition.
That's one of the rewarding parts of Charm that Cottrill is pioneering: a maturity that keeps all parts of the record equal, each installment is exactly where it needs to be, making a rich, complex sound that lets you pick up on a new cog in the machine each re-listen.
Charm’s production has one aspect that takes the record from good to great, and that’s Cottrill’s voice itself. Each song has Cottrill either humming, skating, or making some sort of noise with her distinct vocals that weave it all together.
“Second Nature” showcases Cottrill’s vocals very well with the track featuring a chorus of “Da-dums” and fragments of laughter in the background guiding us through the track alongside the instrumentation
Cottrill’s maturity and finesse come through on Charm front to back. This is her strongest lyrical work thus far, with some of Cottrill’s poetic verses shining through the bold musical sections.
And once you get in my ear
I see kismet sinking in
It's second nature
Like the sap from a cedar
Rolling down to be near her
It's second nature
While the lyrics of Charm are just as breathtaking as the music that surrounds them, the lyrics are scarce in comparison to other cuts off of Sling like “Just for Today” or “Blouse” which have a narrative throughout the track.
Fans are still processing it all– some fans calling “Add Up My Love” the older sister of “Bags”, which hints the fans recognize her maturity as a factor in Charm.
And for fans who miss the sound of Immunity, it’s no question that those songs will forever be benchmarks of her career, but a true fan will let her grow and follow her through her musical journey.
Clairo isn’t making music to meet commercial expectations. She’s trying to be true to herself and authentic to her art. So stick around. If she hasn’t wowed you with this record, I’m betting she’ll Charm you again one day.