Charli XCX announced the remix album of
Brat, titled ''
Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat, on 12 September 2024. On 6 October, she revealed a sample of the lyrics from the "Sympathy Is a Knife" remix on her social media, alongside a link to pre-order the album. Ariana Grande shared the same lyrics to her Instagram story, hinting at a collaboration. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Charli XCX opened up about her relationship with Grande and how the rollout of Brat'' changed her as a person. The remix with Grande in particular made her realise that one is "only really knowledgeable about [one's] own position", a feeling she thought was more known by Grande than herself. ''Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat'' was released through Atlantic Records on 11 October 2024, with the "Sympathy Is a Knife" remix serving as its third track. The day before the album's release, Charli XCX performed the remix version at
Storm King Art Center for a listening party.
Composition and lyrics As opposed to the original version of "Sympathy Is a Knife", the remix with Grande deals with being in the public eye and takes in the themes of public perception and scrutiny from the public, press, and faux friends. Carson Mlnarik of
Nylon described the remix as "more confident, albeit exasperated, perspective" than the original. Over a "synth-y, glitchier, and handclap-driven" instrumental, the artists exchange verses about rumours and how they refuse to address them, a stance that was compared to Grande's "
Yes, And?", released earlier in 2024. Critics specifically found the line "It's a knife when you're so pretty they think it must be fake / It's a knife when they dissect your body on the front page" to be reminiscent of the track. The track contains sharp synthesisers and chopped-up vocals. On the song, the two trade lines about the betrayals they experienced in the music industry. In its final 30 seconds, its sounds become distorted, like a "radio signal drawing listeners into the dilemma by creating a sense of discord", according to Bain.
NME Aneesa Ahmed said it reflects "the influence of post-
Brat mega-fame". P. Claire Dodson, for
Teen Vogue, said the track is "an appropriate remix for Grande to jump on".
DIY Lisa Wright also ranked it second, writing, "it's the one that feels the most hot off the presses", and said it is "underscored by a fellow star who's been through that wringer many times over". For
Billboard, Katie Bain considered it the third best track on the remix album. She called it the album's most anticipated song and praised its harmonies. Maria Sherman of the
Associated Press considered it the fourth best. Andy Steiner of
Paste believed that it leans too much into the "'fame is prison'-type narrative", and criticised Grande's use of "unspecific language and kiss offs". Despite this, she praised its production, writing that "the piercing synths and chopped-up vocals give it a necessary anxious edge". It charted for two weeks on the
Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 36. Charting for 29 weeks, it peaked at number two on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. On the auxiliary Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart, it peaked at number one, and peaked at number two on the
Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart. In the
Canadian Hot 100, the track charted for two weeks, peaking at number 38.
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