Charli XCX’s new album, Wuthering Heights, pales in comparison to her past work, but it’s a dark and beautiful new side of her abilities, transporting listeners from the electric club to windy moors. The album was created by the British singer to accompany Emerald Fennell’s provocative new movie, a loose adaptation of the classic book by Emily Brontë. Starring Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, the story follows a tale of obsessive love and revenge in the late 1700s in Yorkshire, England.
The movie rejects all time period and book accuracy in favor of over-romanticizing a toxic relationship, inaccurately dubbing it “the greatest love story of all time.” Emily Brontë enthusiasts will be seeking revenge after leaving the theater.
The lead single of the album, “House,” features Welsh musician John Cale, and founding member of the influential rock band The Velvet Underground. “House” is a dramatic shift from the sound and genre of Charli’s previous dance and club pop album, Brat (2024). The iconic neon green album created the craze known as “Brat Summer,” during the summer of 2024.
The album’s first track, “House,” went viral as a meme on social media, with the haunting line: “I think I’m gonna die in this house.” The song begins with Cale reading a creepy spoken poem, and the eerie strings create a brutal yet elegant sound. Charli adds in, singing a repeated “I think I’m gonna die in this house.” The noisy and distorted instrumentation teleports listeners to the raw, wild, and British world of “Wuthering Heights”. “House” easily raises goosebumps with the first lyric, but sounds more like a remixed ancient curse than a normal song.
The next song, “Wall of Sound,” uses chilling strings and a metaphor of an overwhelming wall of noise for intense inner pressure and emotions. The song is about being trapped in your own head, craving connection but unable to move toward what you want, nodding to the “noose-like” love in the movie.
“Dying for You” sounds more similar to Brat, with its beat and energy that taps into the dopamine vein in romantic suffering. My favorite song on the album, “Always Everywhere,” is so heartbreaking, with the beautiful musicality of a love ballad.
“Chains of Love” has been a catchy reminder that Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship is just as destructive and obsessive as it is romantic. It’s a toxic situationship on steroids, and listeners will be hoping that this kind of love never finds them!
“Out of Myself” and “Open Up” are a bit more passive and interlude-ish, nothing like the bangers Charli XCX is known for. “Seeing Things” reminds me of Kate Bush’s 1978 song, “Wuthering Heights,” inspired by the book, and is a perfect anthem for all of the delusional girls.
“Altars” is an evocative and amazing song that merges romance, tragedy and epicness all at once. With the lyric “One is not the loneliest number,” Charli XCX flips the outdated idea that being alone has to feel empty and sad. This one’s a highlight from the album!
“Eyes of the World” features Sky Ferreira, and beautifully blends the two artists’ unique voices together with raspy vocals and a distorted chorus. “My Reminder” has an upbeat sound but heartbreaking lyrics, “I don’t hate you, I love you too much, but I won’t tell you cause we’re just different now.” “Funny Mouth” has a flawless Victorian aesthetic and hits the nail on the head for the conclusion of the album.
As a stand alone album, this isn’t as satisfying, but if you love dark, gothic vibes, “Chains of Love,” “Altars,” “Dying for You,” and “Always Everywhere” are definitely worth listening to.
This one is for the yearners, the delusional, and the people who can’t move on if their lives depended on it.
SCORE: 7/10
