Charm (Clairo album)

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.

Background
On July 16, 2021, Clairo released her second studio album Sling to critical acclaim, appearing on numerous "best albums of 2021" lists. Critics praised Sling for Clairo's artistic progression and thematic songwriting that ponders future motherhood, domesticity and the responsibility of becoming a caregiver. Clairo embarked on the Sling tour in 2022 in support of the record. During the tour, she suffered from sinus infections and an ear injury, before finishing the tour on October 4, 2022. In 2023, aside from collaborating with artists like Phoenix and Beabadoobee, Clairo also released two charity singles on Bandcamp, "For Now" with all proceeds directed to Everytown for Gun Safety and For The Gworls, and "Lavender" to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders during the Israel–Hamas war. A live EP, Live at Electric Lady, was released on May 12, 2023.

In January 2024, Clairo started teasing a new album with a post on Instagram, captioning it "maybe this year". In March, she shared an Instagram post captioned with emojis depicting the number three, a check mark, and a purple heart. The post was interpreted by music publication The Forty-Five to mean that her third studio album was complete. On May 7, she revealed a release date of May 23 for her new music via Instagram Stories.

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". 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".

Recording
Charm was recorded at Allaire Studios in upstate New York near Woodstock and at Diamond Mine Recording in the New York City borough of Queens. Cottrill previously worked with producer Jack Antonoff on Sling at Allaire Studios. On Charm, production is instead undertaken by Leon Michels who had previously produced for jazz and soul artists such as Norah Jones, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Liam Bailey. The album was recorded live on analog tape.

Release and promotion
The first single from Charm to be released was "Sexy to Someone" on May 23, 2024. Uproxx described the track as "flirty" while Rolling Stone said it was "a summer stunner with cozy production and whimsical instrumentation". "Nomad", the record second and last single, was released on June 28, 2024.

On May 29, Clairo announced two residencies for September in support of the album. The Los Angeles residency will take place at the Fonda Theatre and the New York residency will take place at the Webster Hall.

On July 17, to promote the album, Clairo performed "Juna", the seventh track of the album, live at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On the same day, she also announced the dates for her upcoming North American tour that will be held from September to November 2024. The tour is supported by singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou as the opening act.

Critical reception
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 81.

Personnel
Musicians
 * Claire Cottrill – lead vocals (all tracks), Wurlitzer (track 1), piano (2, 8, 10), flute (4), percussion (5), guitar (9–11)
 * Leon Michels – percussion (tracks 1–4, 8–10), flute (1, 2, 4, 5, 8–11), synthesizer (1, 2, 5–10), guitar (1, 6, 8–10), organ (2–5, 9–11), piano (2–5, 11), Mellotron (2, 5), clarinet (3, 4, 11), vocals (3, 9, 11); bongos, Wurlitzer (4); saxophone (7, 8), bass (7, 10, 11), drums (9, 10), vibraphone (11)
 * Nick Movshon – bass (tracks 1–6, 8, 9), upright bass (1), percussion (3, 5), guitar (5), mo tuck (1-3, 8)
 * Homer Steinweiss – drums (tracks 1–6, 8), percussion (2, 5)
 * Paul Castelluzzo – slide guitar (track 2)
 * Dylan Nowik – slide guitar (1), electric guitar (tracks 1, 3), fuzz bass (3), acoustic guitar (1, 4, 9)
 * Marco Benevento – piano (tracks 6, 7)
 * Dave Guy – trumpet (tracks 7, 8)
 * Lee Falco – drums, percussion, saxophone (track 7)

Technical
 * Claire Cottrill – production
 * Leon Michels – production, engineering
 * Alex Deturk – mastering
 * Jens Jungkurth – mixing, engineering
 * John Rooney – engineering