Is it possible to review a movie soundtrack without watching the movie? I honestly had forgotten that Charli xcx made an album for Emerald Fennel’s “Wuthering Heights” adaptation until way back in November of last year, when I got a notification for her first single, “House,” featuring John Cale of the Velvet Underground.
I didn’t even believe it was an actual Charli song until my friend had to remind me of the “Wuthering Heights” news, which promptly gave me flashbacks to that infamous tweet: “wuthering heights starring margot robbie and jacob elordi featuring charli xcx on the soundtrack is kinda the matcha dubai chocolate labubu of film.”
Despite the “matcha dubai chocolate labubu”-ness of it all, “House” was a beautiful and haunting single that shook me awake down to my very core with its slow buildup and rhythmic crowing of the strings, the cello chords and John Cale’s spoken word verse; the song’s deep, blaring distorted bass and drum beats, à la Chelsea Wolfe and Massive Attack — were unlike anything I’d ever heard from Charli, but it was a welcome surprise.
While I myself didn’t have high hopes for the upcoming “Wuthering Heights” film, I knew the “Wuthering Heights” album was definitely not going to disappoint. And it absolutely didn’t.
“Wuthering Heights” is so emotional and openly vulnerable, in a much rawer way than Brat, the British singer’s sixth studio album that dominated pop culture following its summer 2024 release. It feels almost surreal hearing Charli take such a dark and brooding sound, not hiding behind her signature club beats. Instead, she swaps her acid bass and autotune for swooning orchestral chords and moody downtempo drums, creating a unique blend of Kate Havnevik and Caroline Polachek, even calling to mind folklore-era Taylor Swift in “Chains of Love.”
The orchestra is a running theme throughout this album, and producer Finn Keane (also known as Easyfun) finds a way to use it uniquely in each song without making it stale. The strings in “Always Everywhere” are delicate and heartfelt, but in “Seeing Things,” they’re pulsating and urgent with the syncopated piano keys. And in all these songs, Charli’s voice is so bold and raw against the warm blooming orchestra behind her.
Every song on this album feels so desperately heartfelt and tragically romantic, like kissing in the pouring rain after a devastating fight or running through the halls of an empty manor in slow motion.
However, the second half of this album takes a much darker, more bass-driven turn, with songs like “Altars,” “My Reminder,” and “Funny Mouth.” I can’t help but be reminded of a specific era in pop music, of downtempo mid-to-late 2010s indie pop, emblematic of the 2014 Tumblr grunge era with icons like Lorde, BANKS and Lana Del Rey. While this genre might be outdated, Charli makes it anything but. Each song in this section holds a certain despair, yet a bizarre sense of freedom, like running away from home in the middle of the night. Like remembering a passionate past love that’s since ended.
The melodrama and tragedy are turned up in these tail end songs. The song most evident of this is “Altars,” whose melancholic sounds bathe me in a monochromatic ennui, like mascara tears and fast car rides to nowhere. To drive the whole 2014 Tumblr vibe home, Charli brings out Sky Ferreira in “Eyes of the World,” a devastating yet powerful anthem that brings back the crunchy bass of “House.” Ferreira’s deep voice is so pronounced and rich against Charli’s voice, each singer complimenting each other perfectly.
The album ends with “Funny Mouth,” a perfect ending to this Renaissance painting of an album. Charli’s voice in this finale is so raw and emotional, calling back to Lorde’s vocal style. The album’s signature elegant orchestra chords slide under the violent glitchy electronic hits à la Arca and FKA Twigs, like a hand slicing through a peaceful river stream.
As the song builds, Charli’s voice becomes transcendent and angelic. It’s surreal compared to the autotuned voice I’m used to hearing. And then the track — and by extension, the album — ends beautifully, languidly, like a slowly burning photograph, the album hitting its final pose, like a ballerina at the end of its performance.
All in all, Charli xcx’s “Wuthering Heights” is elegant, brutal and dosed in melancholy and melodrama. If you’ve never read a Brontë novel, you’ll feel like you have listening to this album. Or at least, a contemporary reimagining of Brontë, complete with Arca-like glitches and bass hits. I give this album an 8/10 –– vulnerable, heartfelt and tragic –– “Wuthering Heights” is a musical mosaic, using genres and sounds that we’ve never seen before from Charli. If you were disappointed by the Emerald Fennell film or perhaps are just looking to see what Charli has done post-Brat, go give this work a listen. You won’t regret it.