the odd woman's guide to charm (2024)

thoughts on clairo's third album (spoiler alert i love it)

prelude

As somebody who stumbled across Clairo’s homemade music videos on YouTube at a young age, seeing her mature and grow into the person and artist she is today has been incredible. Her first album, Immunity, presented a softer, more emotional Clairo than we had seen in her bedroom pop singles. Sling, while still retaining her soft vocals and gentle lyricism, had a darker energy to it. Charm, is the perfect combination of all of her previous music, combining lyricism and maturity with the softness and overall vibe of her earlier music.

Nomad

“I'd rather wake up alone than be reminded/Of how it was a dream this time”

The album’s opening track is an ode to self-preservation. By likening herself to a nomad, one who is always travelling and never settles down, Clairo expresses a desire to sever all attachment, instead of suffering pain. She tries to balance a desire for connection with an aversion to emotional hurt. Unfortunately, these things are not dichotomous and are often entwined.

As somebody who suffered intense emotional trauma due to relationships at too young an age, this song spoke to that part of myself that is hellbent on protecting me, at whatever cost. I spent much of my adolescence dipping my toes into various friendships and relationships, out of a fear of drowning again. This inclination towards self-preservation bit me in the foot though. In order to conceal my Achilles heel, my various vulnerabilities, I refused to truly immerse myself in any relationships. Like many things in life, it’s a no pain, no gain situation. You cannot have genuine connection without accepting the risk of pain.

Sexy to Someone

“Sexy to somebody, it would help me out/ Oh, I need a reason to get out of the house”

Sexy to Someone is a blunt admission of Clairo’s need for validation, something that is often considered taboo, but is also an experience deeply ingrained in the human experience. Her seemingly oxymoronic assertion that it’s “just a little thing” that she “can’t live without” perfectly sums up how it feels to desperately want something that is often trivialized. What really speaks to me is her use of the words someone and somebody, implying that she truly does not care about who finds her attractive, she just wants to feel it.

This is personally my favorite song on the album and it speaks to a part of myself that I was always super ashamed of. I’ve always been incredibly independant, but I am also a secret romantic. I’ve always found it embarrassing how much I desired something that seemed so trivial, but that didn’t stop me from wanting somebody to look at me. I really love how Clairo explored this vulnerability and I also adore the musicality of this track.

Second Nature

“And once you get in my ear/ I see kismet sinking in/ It's second nature”

This song is such a cute, soothing portrait of the instinctual state Clairo finds herself in when she’s in love. I think that she articulates the feeling of ease and comfort that genuine love and affection brings in a really beautiful way. She describes her “train of thought destroyed” when she’s in proximity to her partner.

I think that this is a really special depiction of how it feels to love somebody in a way that transcends thought. As somebody who is innately cerebral, I can acknowledge my relationships becoming deeper when I am not acting on my thoughts, rather I am compelled forward by my feelings in a way that truly feels like second nature.

Slow Dance

“And what is it that's keeping you alone/ And leaving after we slow dance?”

“Slow Dance” represents such a relationship dynamic that I’ve experienced in a myriad of forms. Feeling like you’ve exchanged an intimate experience, such as a slow dance, only to realize that the other party has ”got people to turn to” that aren’t you invokes an unsettlingly feeling. It’s one of both insecurity and envy that can be incredibly self destructive. It feels like an imbalanced scale. I am, unfortunately, often on the side of the relationship that Clairo also seems to be on. I can’t help but question why my love isn’t enough, and how others seems to effortlessly win the affections of whoever they want.

Thank You

“I really hate to admit it/ I put my pride on the line/ 'Cause when I met you, I knew it/ I'd thank you for your time”

Clairo looks back at a past relationship and questions if that person is actually the one for her. Despite her nostalgia for the relationship, she is able to acknowledge that they were not meant to be, while also thanking her former partner for the influence they’ve had on their life. In fact, she accepts that she knew the relationship was doomed from the start, but she is still grateful for the time they put in. I think that this is a really healthy, mature lens to view past relationships under. I appreciate Clairo’s appreciation on this track.

Terrapin

“Simple thing, I don't need much to like”

Brief, yet beautiful, the lyricism on Terrapin pays homage to the simplicities in life. The narrator, much like the songs melody, is easy going and uncomplicated. As such, I will keep this blurb the same.

Juna

“With you, there's no pretending/You know me, you know me”

In a similar vein to “Second Nature”, Clairo meditates on love as something uncomplicated, authentic and innate. There is no pretending, and there is no hiding. With her assertion that her partner truly knows her, she has moved past the fear of vulnerability that plagued her earlier on in this record. I think that Clairo and I have a very similar view on love. To love someone is to know them completely, and without pretense. In turn, you must allow yourself to be understood.

Add Up My Love

“If I could wait for a time/ To be sad about it, sad about it/ I'd choose a day when you've gone away”

Clairo’s fear of emotional intimacy comes back in full force on this track. She seems to be coming from a place of insecurity, wondering if her love is enough. This seems to serve as a sister song to “Slow Dance”, wherein she questions why her partner is so distant, despite the physical closeness they share. However, in “Add Up My Love”, Clairo carries the same insecurity, while also being a distant partner, who is unable to truly share her emotions. I think that this contradictions in this song are heartbreakingly realistic. I can’t help but imagine her partner asking the same questions as her, wondering why their love isn’t enough for their partner to express themselves fully.

Echo

“It's in the things I see in you/And what you notice I echo”

Most of this track is instrumental, but from the little lyricism, Clairo appears to be comparing her relationship to a broadcast of sorts. While she wants to broadcast her love to the world, she can’t help but feel scared that she will regret it if it goes nowhere. Furthermore, she is uncomfortable with others commenting or echoing on her relationship.

Glory of the Snow

“Glory of the snow/I'm waking up and now I know”

“Glory of the Snow” is Clairo’s attempt at reconciling her nostalgia for a past relationship, with her excitement to begin again. I think that there is something to be said for the ephemerality of truly knowing somebody. Countless friends that understood you at a fixed point in time, may not understand the new person that you are becoming. As we continue to develop, the changes we undergo may disturb the delicate bonds of understanding we have forged with the various players in our lives. This desire to hold onto fleeting moments of truth and acknowledgement may hinder us from progressing, as we fear losing those who understood past versions of ourselves. This is why it is vital for us to understand ourselves. As we wake up into new versions of ourselves, we will know.

Pier 4

“You'll find a reason, you'll just chalk it up/ To being different, being young/ And wonder why no one knew you at all”

As the album comes to a close, Clairo laments a recently ended relationship. Throughout the brief, electrifying experiences of being known she has conveyed over the course of the album, she understands that the flaw of this relationship was a lack of emotional intimacy. I see this track as the culmination to stories told through Slow Dance and Add Up My Love. This relationship was not one in which she felt known. While her partner might have interpreted them as “close” they were not “close enough” for Clairo, for whom being seen and understood is a keystone of a relationship. In fact, this relationship may have first stems from Clairo’s insecurities in “Sexy to Someone”. While she and her ex may blame irreconcilable difference or immaturity for the end of the relationship, it was in fact a lack of mutual understanding.

postlude

as always, thank you for reading <3