By Hallie Gay
On February 13th, 2026, British singer-songwriter and powerhouse of the current pop music zeitgeist Charli XCX released her seventh studio album, Wuthering Heights, the soundtrack accompaniment to Emerald Fennell’s 2026 film of the same name, which released the same day. Having not seen the film myself, the duration of this review intends to focus on the album as its own entity rather than an extension of its source material.
Wuthering Heights is sonically unlike anything Charli has released up to this point. It feels most reminiscent of her first album, True Romance, which may be jarring to listeners who were first introduced through her last LP, Brat, which garnered a popularity incomparable to any of her previous releases. Considering its impact on pop culture, stakes were high for how Charli would tackle Brat’s anticipated follow-up. Rather than repurposing the aggressively electronic, hyper-pop sound of her preceding record, Charli has opted for a cinematic synth-pop record with orchestral instrumentation. The classically inspired score paired with her sharply contemporary vocal delivery makes for a listening experience unconcerned with evoking a singular era or genre. Some personal standout tracks that I’ve had on repeat are “House featuring John Cale,” “Dying for You,” and “Out of Myself.”
The first track and single, “House featuring John Cale,” captures an oppressive, goth-rock atmosphere. Opening with a piercing two-note violin reminiscent of a classic horror film score, it is by far the most distinctive, and often jarringly so, of all the songs on the album. The track has seen recent popularity on social media, particularly TikTok, but I personally can’t help but wish it had not been released as a single and had instead been left as a surprise to album listeners. The track features heavy distortion and layered vocals, creating an aggressive, chaotic, and generally overwhelming sound, which serves as a juxtaposition of collaborator John Cale’s understated delivery of his spoken-word poetry. This style lends itself perfectly to Charli’s unrestrained vocal performance, and I would love to see her continue to experiment with this horror-esque sound in future projects.
“Chains of Love” was the second single released from the album and an introduction to the general synth-pop, True Romance-adjacent sound of the album. The instrumental is relatively simple, characterized by synth chords, occasional string accompaniment, and a crisp snare and bass drum beat, which allows Charli’s vocals to take center stage. I found her delivery of “I know the chains of love won’t break,” both prior to the second chorus and in the song’s outro, particularly beautiful. The use of lighter, subtle strings here to complement Charli’s echoing vocals gives the song a more angelic quality, which contrasts heavily with the haunting nature of “House.”
“Wall of Sound” was the third and final single released prior to the album. It continues the album’s utilization of string instrumentation, this time building alongside Charli’s layered vocals to create the claustrophobic environment evoked by the song’s title.
The third track, “Dying for You,” combines radio-pop catchiness with melodramatic and occasionally morbid lyrics, such as, “You’re a gun to my head, and you’re a wound in my chest…[Y]ou’re my favorite jewelry worn just like a noose ‘round my neck.” Some might find these lyrics painfully campy or on the nose, but I would argue that Charli is fully aware of and leaning into these theatrics.
“Always Everywhere” takes a slower approach with its dreamy atmosphere. Charli’s songwriting takes on a poetic voice here, evoking the imagery of a stormy English landscape. Falling between “Chains of Love” and “Dying for You” on the tracklist, “Always Everywhere” unfortunately feels like a transitional piece meant to fill space between the two.
“Out of Myself” has the potential to be my personal favorite off this record. The string orchestration on this track is punchy, confident, and flamboyant in a way that feels unparalleled by the rest of the album. My only critique would be that, at a runtime of 2:19, this track is short-lived and slightly repetitive. Nevertheless, “Out of Myself” feels like a perfectly balanced blend of Charli’s usual stylings and the orchestral Wuthering Heights flair.
“Open Up,” the shortest track, serves as an understated and melodic, but not particularly intriguing, interlude as the album transitions into its second half.
“Seeing Things” evokes a sense of bittersweet optimism as the narrator mistakes strangers for someone from their past. Though a good track overall, I found the melody of the verses combined with Charli’s vocal delivery to be stilted and slightly awkward.
“Altars” blends an ethereal sound with raw, unrefined vocals and emotive, vulnerable lyrics. Charli’s progression into descriptive songwriting feels significantly more natural here, incorporating religious imagery that feels thematically relevant rather than metaphorical for the sake of complexity.
In “Eyes of the World,” Charli features 2019 collaborator and Tumblr-era alum Sky Ferreira. The track has haunting undertones familiar to “House” and “Wall of Sound,” with a similarly piercing violin. The low, raspy vocals of the verses lead into a beautifully intense and distorted chorus where both artists blend together seamlessly.
The penultimate track, “My Reminder,” is catchy and simplistic but easily the weakest for me. It feels the most reminiscent of an early Charli XCX song, making it feel too safe and unobjectionable in an album full of more interesting tracks.
Closing out the album, “Funny Mouth” primarily centers its instrumentation and production, with Charli’s vocals and lyrics playing supporting roles. The heightened instrumental and repetition of the lyrics, “Everyone sleeps…And everyone wakes up,” creates an eerie, ominous tone that is left largely unresolved by the track’s outro, sending the album out on a pensive note.
Essentially, this album is a delightfully melodramatic, cinematic, and orchestral reimagining of Charli’s usual electro-pop sound. Considering the brief 34-minute runtime, some songs feel promising but not fully developed, which may lead listeners to wonder how the record might have unfolded without the limitations of film accompaniment. Despite this, though by no means her best work, Wuthering Heights is a testament to Charli’s flexibility and creative vision as an artist and surpasses its function as a soundtrack album, offering numerous emotionally evocative moments backed by a captivating symphonic soundscape.
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