Rating 8.5/10
“I think I’m gonna die in this house” is probably the reaction many had upon hearing Charli xcx was making the soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s controversial adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” a gothic “love” story set in the English moors. However, the “Brat summer” sound and 19th-century feminist literature are a long-overdue combination that works surprisingly well.
This 12-track album examines the intricacies of Cathy and Heathcliff’s passionate relationship and explores the themes of the book that were seemingly ignored in the making of the $80 million film for which it was produced.
It wouldn’t be surprising if this album is remembered more fondly than the actual “Wuthering Heights” movie a year from now.
Charli has been grossly intertwined with pop culture since the release of her iconic album, “Brat,” in 2024, having gone on to shape presidential campaigns, star in a mockumentary about her “Brat summer” era and even be dragged into a feud with Taylor Swift. Yet somehow, between all these events, she has found the time to make an astonishingly great movie album.
Known for being experimental in her music and excelling in the hyperpop genre, Charli’s production on this album is spectacular, as orchestras, synthesizers and autotune are all combined to seamlessly make sonically interesting tracks.
A good example of this is the first track and lead single, “House,” featuring John Cale. While the first two-thirds of this song feature a spoken-word poem performed by Cale, the last part distorts into equal parts terrifying and beautiful as the artists belt a melancholic duet.
One of my favorite tracks on this album is “Wall of Sound.” In the context of “Wuthering Heights,” this song deals with the idea of being trapped in your own mind and stopping yourself from attaining your true desires, a prominent theme in Emily Brontë’s novel. “Wall of Sound” is able to combine these core messages with modern-day pop sensibilities to make a masterpiece — and, accessorily, a catchy song.
The third track, “Dying for You,” has received much attention from music critics and listeners alike for being one of the catchiest songs on the album. To me, this track would work especially well on any pop album, but the shocking fact that it was released as part of a motion picture soundtrack makes its quality all the more impressive.
The best collaboration on this album is the power ballad, “Eyes of the World,” featuring Sky Ferreira. This string-heavy production tells the story of how we allow others to see us and the unique torture that this act of vulnerability causes. Both Charli and Ferreira give it their all in this standout track.
It’s quite surprising that Charli was able to pivot directly into this noteworthy sound following “Brat.” One of her co-writers, Finn Keane, even said in an interview, “Charli loves working in opposites and extremes, and this felt like a really exciting next step for her artistry. We were just so excited to try something completely different and hopefully something that was kind of surprising on some level.”
“Seeing Things” and “Out of Myself” are two of the most exciting songs on the album, as they combine string instruments and hyperpop to make music that’s fun and interesting to listen to. It’s remarkable how full to the brim this album is with equal parts passion, love and darkness, the songs bouncing between these different emotions on a whim.
Another strength of this album is the visual identity Charli has been able to construct for it. There have been four singles released so far, three of which brought to life with wildly different music videos. The second single in particular, “Chains of Love,” would really only be a standard pop song if it weren’t for the amazing music video that accompanied it, featuring Charli tumbling on large banquet tables with glass shattering alongside her. Bolstered by such a display of artistry, it’s no surprise that this single was her biggest solo debut, outperforming songs like “360” and “Von Dutch.”
A great album release is so much more than good music, and this album has certainly achieved this distinction, perfectly cementing its visual persona with video releases.
This is not to say that every song on “Wuthering Heights” is a work of art — far from it, actually. “Altars” and “My Reminder” are forgettable and lack the engaging hook that Charli is known for. It’s not that these songs are bad; they are just background music worthy, and that’s one of the greatest crimes a pop star can commit.
Additional songs on the album such as “Open Up,” “Always Everywhere” and “Funny Mouth” build upon the previous tracks by experimenting with different production styles and themes to round out this entertaining album.
Undeniably, Charli had the unenviable task of creating the soundtrack to the movie adaptation of one of the most iconic novels of all time. Unlike Fennell, however, Charli understood the source material she was working with and subsequently created a sonically cohesive and visually appealing album that transported her listeners to the world of gothic 19th-century England.
“Wuthering Heights” is not a love story — it is a tale of passion, obsession and keeping our true feelings locked away when all we want to do is shout them out for the world to hear. Charli is the only woman who could have ever translated these shared feelings into music made for the modern listener.
Some might even say this musical adaptation is “Actually Romantic.”
Wyatt Pickering is a business honors and finance junior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.
