“Sexy to Someone,” the first single released ahead of Clairo’s upcoming album Charm, marks the beginning of a distinct new chapter in the singer’s artistic evolution. First rising to prominence in 2017 with the viral hit “Pretty Girl,” Clairo has been a staple in the indie pop scene ever since, from the eclectic ear-candy of her 2019 debut Immunity to the more intimate, Sufjan Steven-style baroque pop of 2021’s Sling. Now “Sexy to Someone” sees her making use of the best elements of all these past chapters, synthesizing parts of each into a unique new whole.
“Sexy to Someone” marries a tight, propulsive groove to warm, Beatlesque orchestral ornamentation. The song kicks off with a piano sound right out of Abbey Road Studios, hacked up to punctuate a punchy bassline and crisp drums. Clairo’s velveteen lead vocal emerges to take center stage, providing the perfect connective tissue between lockstep rhythm section and symphonic adornments. This pristine mixture simmers on until a “My Sweet Lord”-style slide guitar shepherds the whole affair to a close.
“Sexy to Someone” takes what in other circumstances might be disparate elements and fuses them into perfectly organic unity. Understatedly lush and quietly infectious, “Sexy to Someone” sounds like the natural maturation of Clairo’s previous output coming to fruition, and makes for a tantalizing first taste of Charm‘s July release.