Charli XCX's 'Wuthering Heights' Album: A Brat-Goth Musical Journey

Experience Charli XCX's moody 'Wuthering Heights' album, a brat-goth banger pulsing with gothic romance and dark pop textures.

Swept Away on the Wuthering Moors with Charli XCX

There’s something irresistibly wild about Charli XCX’s latest project, her companion album for director Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights movie. Departing sharply from the turbocharged, insta-classic dance-pop vibes of her 2024 album Brat and its remix counterpart, Charli dives headfirst into the chilly, windswept moors. She’s crafted what can only be described as her most “wuthering” music yet, capturing that biting, bitter cold feeling you get when the wind howls and the world feels a little haunted.

If you’re familiar with Charli’s chameleon-like tendencies, you’ll know she’s always reinventing herself — but this time, she’s wrapped her signature edge in a thick layer of gothic atmosphere. It’s a sonic adventure steeped in the spirit of the moors, and she’s nailed it.

More Than a Soundtrack: A Gothic Romance in Music

Don’t mistake Wuthering Heights for just another soundtrack or film score. This is a fully fleshed-out album bursting with rich, evocative songs that add a new dimension to Charli’s ever-evolving style. Instead of simply riding the waves of Fennell’s provocative screenplay, Charli turns in a heartfelt homage to the gothic-romantic canon itself.

Think the literary shadow of the Brontë sisters, the haunting second half of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, the melancholy dramas of Eighties pop, and the industrial edge of Nine Inch Nails. This isn’t just music; it’s a love letter to gothic passion and torment—a blend that would make any teenage Cure fan or high school English teacher beam with pride.

An Unexpected Voice: John Cale Opens the Album

The very first voice you hear on the album isn’t Charli’s—it’s John Cale’s, the legendary octogenarian who shaped the gothic music scene decades ago with the Velvet Underground. On the chilling opener “House,” Cale delivers a slow, eerie poem over ominous, moaning strings. The music feels like it’s crawling out from the creaking floorboards of a dilapidated Victorian mansion.

Together, Charli and Cale echo the haunting line, “I think I’m gonna die in this house,” summoning a spine-tingling atmosphere that Edgar Allan Poe himself might envy.

“It’s the kind of bone-chilling oration that could make Edgar Allen Poe pee himself in terror.”

Diving Into Darkness: The Bleaker and Rawer Charli

From there, the album doesn’t get much sunnier. Take the bleary and immersive “Wall of Sound,” which pulls you into a churning pool of droning orchestration. Charli’s voice is raw and vulnerable as she sings, “Unbelievable tension, wall of sound / No real reason and I can’t escape it,” baring her nerves without the usual pop polish.

Slowing down and stripping away the usual high-gloss production, Charli invites listeners into her most intimate and distressing moments. But just because the themes are heavy doesn’t mean the album drags. On “Dying for You,” she belts out tales of bleeding, burning herself on the road — all in the name of love — layered over a pounding, clanging house beat.

“Chains of Love” follows with a dramatic flare, Charli singing about scars worn like armor atop a swooning ballad reminiscent of 80s power pop at its most heart-wrenching. The intensity escalates with Sky Ferreira crashing the scene on “Eyes of the World,” delivering a fierce, emotionally charged cameo that adds to the album’s emotional rollercoaster.

A Flicker of Dawn: Hope Shines Through the Gloom

Despite the thick gothic shadows, Charli closes the album with a hint of light breaking through. “My Reminder” is unexpectedly sweet and synth-pop pretty, a tender reflection on complicated sibling bonds. It subtly echoes the fraught relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine in the original Wuthering Heights — minus the, shall we say, more scandalous elements.

The album ends on the diabolically jarring note of “Funny Mouth,” where Charli reaches through some of the album’s heaviest, darkest sounds to whisper, “If there’s a light, don’t let it go out.” It’s a fitting sign-off from an album that’s taken a timeless classic and made it unmistakably, uniquely hers.

FAQ

• What genre best describes Charli XCX’s 'Wuthering Heights' album? It is best described as brat-goth, blending gothic-romantic themes with dark pop and synth textures.
• Is 'Wuthering Heights' a movie soundtrack? No, it’s a fully realized album created as a companion to the film but stands alone as its own musical work.
• Which artists influenced the sound of this album? Influences include the Brontë sisters’ gothic literature, Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, Eighties pop ballads, and Nine Inch Nails.
• Who features on the album besides Charli XCX? Legendary musician John Cale opens the album, and Sky Ferreira makes a notable cameo on the track “Eyes of the World.”
• What themes dominate the album’s lyrics? Themes of love, emotional torment, scars as armor, gothic romance, and hope amidst darkness run throughout the album.

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