Will BRAT bring us back to the club this summer?
When I go to the club, I wanna hear those club classics.
Those are the words of pop’s current ‘it’ girl, Charli XCX, on the track ‘Club Classics’ from her sixth studio album, BRAT. The album taps into nostalgia for the 2010s club culture that spawned Charli, with its acid-green lo-fi album cover and tracks that serve as an ode to party girls.
Despite Charli’s love letter, there’s been a massive decline in clubbing globally. According to a Keep Hush survey, only 25% of Gen Zers are interested in going ‘out’ out. We can chalk this up to many factors, with Gen Zers drinking less alcohol compared to older generations and ditching nights out to save money. However, some Gen Zers are nostalgic for an era of clubbing they didn’t experience, seeking ways to engage in the essence of clubbing culture escapism – and BRAT taps into this desire.
As highlighted in our Essential Escapism Macro Behaviour, people are finding freedom in the unhinged – and during permacrisis, the club could make a resurgence as a temporary escape from worldly problems. We’re seeing this manifest in ways that align with people’s current lifestyles. In 2024, Stormzy launched House Party, a bar in the heart of Soho, which offers a nostalgic, immersive house party experience with DJ sets, secret rooms, beer pong tournaments, and more. Meanwhile, more sober pop-ups and events have been launching to coincide with the rise in sober-curious drinkers, like Club Curious, a three-room storefront in Brooklyn, New York, that serves as a clubhouse for Curious Elixirs, a brand of non-alcoholic bottled cocktails.
