BRAT Variants: Do they live up to the hype?
- Hudson Smith
- Jan 28
- 8 min read
In my last post, Brat was the main topic I wrote about. On today's post, I am going to do a deep dive of every Brat variant on vinyl! I personally only have three pressings: Urban Outfitters Orange Translucent Swirl, Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not White, and Brat and Its Completely Different Green. Based on the vinyl I have; they all have various different songs and all sound and look so unique. However, let's journey through the ultimate Brat guide of vinyl.
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Brat: Translucent Black
This variant is the standard black variant of the Brat album. It includes the first 15 tracks of the album and was sold on Charli's website. Personally, I do not own this variant, but I love the simplicity of it. It matches the theme of Brat in a way and does have Charli's face on the center of the vinyl, like the others. I am not a huge fan of standard black vinyl, which is why it ranks so low on my list. I give this variant a 1/10.
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Brat: Orange Translucent
This variant was only sold online and in stores at Urban Outfitters. I did manage to get my hands on this vinyl after they restocked at my local store. It is a 1 lp vinyl and contains the basic 15 tracks of Brat. Although I do own this vinyl, I do not like how plain it is. However, the color is beautiful and is so much fun to spin! Because of this, I give this variant a 1.5/10.
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Brat: Yellow and Blue Split
This variant to me does not match the theme of Brat at all. This vinyl comes with the standard 15 tracks and has Charli's face in the center of the vinyl. This was sold as a "Sweat Tour Exclusive" and was only available for a limited time. Retail prices on Ebay has these for about 200 dollars. Personally, the only reason why I would buy this vinyl would be to complete the Brat collection, but I cannot picture myself spinning this variant. Because of this, and the colors that are different, I give this a ranking of 2/10.
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Brat 12' Black
This variant of Brat comes with the standard 15 tracks on the album. However, this vinyl is unique in so many different ways. For starts, the center is no longer of Charli's face, but instead of a plain black finish. The packaging on this is quite similar to the 7' vinyl of this album, but to me it's a little bit plain. It does keep its iconic green in the PVC sleeve. Overall, I would rate this variant a 2/10, ranking higher because of the unique packaging.
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Brat Red Picture Disk
This variant of Brat is praised by the community for being different and I do also like how unique it is from the rest of the album. This variant comes with the standard 15 tracks and cover, but instead of green, it's red. It was sold on Charli's website before the release of Brat alongside the blue and green picture disks. I do love colored vinyl; however, I do not enjoy picture disk vinyl. This version to me, with its blue counterpart, does not give off Brat vibes, but instead more of a Crash vibe. This is why this variant is on the lower end of this list. I do love the color and everything, but wish it included more Bratty elements. Overall, I give this pressing a 3/10.
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Brat Blue Picture Disk
Another picture disk of Brat, yet it's blue. Similar to its counterpart, the red picture disk, the same reasoning goes as to why I do not like this variant as much as the others. Blue is closer to green on the color scale, but again it doesn't match the vibes of the album. I think these vinyls would have done amazing if they were branded as such, but I am not her marketing team. Again, I would have to give this variant a 3/10.
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Standard Picture Disk
This variant was also sold with the blue and red picture disks on Charli's website before the initial release of Brat. It includes the standard 15 tracks with the normal Brat cover. I love the expanded image of her eye and how we get more of her face on this picture disk. However, as we know, I am not a huge fan of picture disks. Similar reasons to the other two picture disks on this list, I give it a ranking of 3/10, ranking slightly higher because of the image and original cover.
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Brat Green Picture Disk
To close off the picture disk saga, this is the Green Picture Disk variant. It comes with the original 15 tracks of the album and has the iconic green cover. For me, this is my favorite picture disk variant. I love how the vinyl matches the cover and includes the song titles in the black font on the disk. This was also sold with the other picture disks on Charli's website. I can see myself buying this in the future and possibly spinning it a few times. Overall, I give this picture disk a ranking of 4/10.
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Brat Highlighter Yellow
This might be surprising to a few, as it is just a plain yellow vinyl variant. This variant contains the standard 15 tracks of Brat and keeps the iconic album cover. I do rank this higher than the picture disks because I love the contrast of the plain yellow and the green. I can see myself buying this, but I am not sure about spinning it a lot. Overall, I give this variant a ranking of 4.5/10.
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Brat Black Glitter Ice
This variant is different from the translucent black variant as it includes specs of glitter throughout the vinyl. This variant can be bought at Target online and in person if your store has any stock left. This variant comes with the standard 15 tracks and standard album cover. I rank this vinyl so much higher than the standard black because of the uniqueness of the vinyl itself with the glitter. I would consider buying this vinyl and most definitely spin it more times than any other variants that came before on the list. Overall, I give this variant a ranking of 5/10.
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Brat Grey Marble
This Brat Variant is the standard cover with the original 15 tracks. This variant is currently available on Amazon but is very limited. This variant to me is so unique with the marbled pressing but seems a bit plain for a marble pressing. Marble pressings do tend to look different in person, and because of that, this is why the image ranks in 10th place. I can see myself buying the vinyl to see what marble pattern I get and would spin this. I do love the accents on the vinyl and the classic eye image of Charli on the center. Overall, I give this variant a ranking of 5.5/10.
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Brat Black Marble
This vinyl is truly one of the most impressive variants I have seen. This variant had only 3,000 copies made in the United States and is considered an elite Brat vinyl. The reason why this vinyl ranks higher than the grey marble is because of the detail on the vinyl. Again, every marble is different, but from the photos I have seen, this vinyl is breathtaking. With the much-needed accents, the vinyl seems to come to life with the way it matches her hair in the center of the vinyl. I would love to collect this variant, but due to the extremity, the resale prices are a tad bit expensive. Overall, this vinyl is stunning which is why I give it a ranking of 6/10.
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Brat Clear with Pink Splatter
Along with the other exclusive vinyl, this variant is also very hard to obtain. It was not sold on Charli's website yet instead sold as an Indie Exclusive Pressing. As I was not able to buy this one, the color and splatter are absolutely gorgeous. Having previous experiences with splatter vinyl, I have not seen one splatter that does not look like the photo. The pink splatter does not match the album at all, but it brings out the other side of Brat as a simple 'I'm just as girl' album. I can see myself spinning this variant all the time if I did own it, but as it remains online with these resale prices, I can only dream to own it. Overall, the twist on this variant earns 4th place and a ranking of 7/10.
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Brat Sympathy Splatter
Now, this vinyl absolutely deserved third place on this ranking list. Between keeping the original cover and black accents, this vinyl is a must have for any Charli collector. It does keep the original 15 tracks and is named after track 3: Sympathy is a Knife. Sympathy is a knife is such a relatable song and is personally one of my favorites, hence the ranking. The actual vinyl itself is gorgeous, and I would absolutely buy and spin this variant. This was originally sold as a Turntable Lab exclusive, limited to 3,000 copies. Originally sold for 36 dollars, the resale prices are not too bad for this vinyl being around 70 dollars. I could see myself buying this and spinning it as the pressing itself is amazing. Overall, this stunning variant earns the 3rd place spot on this ranking list and a score of 8/10.
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Brat Black and White Marble
Now, this vinyl truly takes the cake as one of the most intricate splatter vinyls from this album. This version of the vinyl contains the original 15 tracks and does not have a normal gatefold. The reason for these changes is because it was sold as a Blood Record exclusive. Blood Records is notorious for having some of the most insane vinyl pressings of normal albums. For Brat, they collaborated and made a splatter vinyl that seems as if layers of the earth have been built around Charli's eye. This variant was sold for around 35 dollars and was limited to 3,000 copies on the website. The resale prices for the vinyl are not horrible as the cheapest one I could find was on Discogs for 55 dollars. I would love to own this vinyl as the splattering stacked is quite beautiful. Overall, my love for the album and this pressing earns a score of 9/10.
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Brat Pink and Black Splatter
This vinyl was originally sold as a Target exclusive making is accessible to anyone with a Target nearby. This pressing is absolutely gorgeous and features pink accents with a hint of black throughout the vinyl. Although it is not translucent like the others, this color choice was perfect for the album. Although it does not feature the iconic green in the vinyl, it keeps the original gatefold and the standard 15 tracks. I would love to own this variant and have checked my local Target every day to see if this would restock. Unfortunately, I do not think a Target restock of this vinyl is coming anytime soon, which means resale cites are the next best way to obtain this vinyl. If I owned this variant, then I would most likely spin this one every time I wanted to listen to the Brat album. To close off the rankings, this album by far earns a 10/10.
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In the end, Brat is an iconic album that was considered a cultural reset by many. With so many different vinyl variants, this ranking is purely just for fun and is my honest opinion. Every version of this album is beautiful and are all 10/10 in my heart. Overall, with this many pressings, someone can expect to spend over 360 dollars to obtain every variant, unless they already have a few of them.
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