Charli xcx’s 2024 release of “BRAT” was a cultural phenomenon. From remixes to a deluxe edition, fans received countless versions of the album they knew and loved — but some listeners were left wondering what would come next for the British pop icon.
On Feb. 13, listeners’ questions were answered with a new, fantastically produced body of work: a companion album to “Wuthering Heights,” director Emerald Fennell’s erotic take on the eponymous Emily Brontë novel.
In just 34 minutes, Charli xcx fuses a contemporary sound with the desolation of the British moors, producing a passionate and dynamic take on Catherine and Heathcliff’s love story. While the album is not a faithful retelling of the novel — though neither is Fennell’s film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi — it captures the atmosphere of “Wuthering Heights” brilliantly.
The record opens with “House featuring John Cale,” a collaboration with one of the founding members of The Velvet Underground, an American rock band known for sonic experimentation. Cale offers a spoken word introduction to the track, which eventually transitions into Charli xcx’s screeching produced with her trademark autotune. The refrain, “I think I’m gonna die in this house,” sets the dark, obsessive tone in the rest of the record.
In “Wall of Sound,” one of the album’s best tracks, Charli xcx goes from resisting her desires to accepting them. By the second verse, the track careens into ecstasy: Without even mentioning sex, the song’s strings and reverberation create an intensely erotic addition to the record.
Picking up the album’s pace, “Dying for You” is a more classic Charli xcx track. The pounding bass ironically complements tortured lyrics like “’Cause you’re the poison I drink, I drink you twice to be sure / And then I find the highest building, just to fall on my sword.” The buoyant sound heightens the appeal of the painful love that Charli xcx details throughout the track. “Always Everywhere” feels most attuned to the subject material. Slowed down and deeply romantic, the track’s symphonic sound is slightly distorted and contributes to the crazed landscape that Charli xcx paints.
The song is followed by “Chains of Love,” one of the album’s singles. Lyrics like “My face is turning blue / Can’t breathe without you here / The chains of love are cruel / I shouldn’t feel like a prisoner” are complemented by heavy synths melded with a quintessential Gothic melodrama.
Much of the album could be interpreted as a plea, but Charli xcx manages to avoid fully occupying a space of desperation. Each track’s intensity and fervor produce its own power, if not allure, for listeners. This is clear in “Out of Myself,” with self-assured lines like “I’m begging to you on my knees / Please rub the salt in my wounds / I like the person you turn me to.” The song, which is pure carnality, perfectly bridges electronic elements with grating strings in a borderline cacophonous combination.
This underlying desperation is continued in the tasteful narration of “Seeing Things,” as Charli xcx details the experience of wanting to see a past lover so desperately that they materialize at the behest of the imagination. The yearning portrayed is sweet, offsetting the urgent hunger that enlivens the rest of the record. With an orchestral backing, the song’s desperation becomes utterly jubilant in a delicious paradox.
The subsequent track “Altars” offers a gritty change of pace. The song’s evocative religious imagery is juxtaposed with its iconoclasm — Charli xcx is devoted only and completely to her love.
“Eyes of the World featuring Sky Ferreira” is a collaboration with breathtaking payoff. The song’s dark atmosphere is buttressed by an explosive chorus, Ferreira’s gravelly vocals and eerie production.
But the album begins to stumble in its closing songs. “My Reminder” is a pop track that doesn’t rebel and lacks the narrative interest that other tracks bring to the record — the song buckles beneath the intensity of the rest of the album. “Funny Mouth” closes the album in the same cinematic vein as its opener, but it lacks all of the novelty and intrigue. Devoid of any emotional weight, the song is unfortunately forgettable.
“Wuthering Heights” by Charli xcx is a SparkNotes version of Brontë’s novel: Casual listeners have an opportunity to catch the “vibe” of the novel without actually reading some 400 pages. As a concept album, “Wuthering Heights” is masterful. Charli xcx brings what she does best — heavy production and intense autotune — to work alongside moody strings and hedonistic themes. With this new album Charli xcx brilliantly escaped the trap of trying to recreate her success in “BRAT,” instead pivoting to showcase her storytelling skills and creative fluidity.
Alyssia Ouhocine is a Senior Staff Writer covering Arts & Culture. Hailing from Bayonne, New Jersey, she is concentrating in English and History with a particular interest in Algerian history and literature. When she’s not writing, she can be found listening to music and sending Google Calendar invites.
