Gone are the sunglasses and cigarettes of “BRAT.” Now, Charli XCX is welcoming in strings, dissonance and late 18th-century Yorkshire aesthetics with psychologically damaging romance. Her latest album was released as a soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation film “Wuthering Heights,” starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie. The album, however, is not merely a soundtrack, as it stands completely on its own. It is almost as if Charli took the themes of the movie — love, lust, fear, infatuation and paranoia — and expanded them into 12 polished yet experimental tracks.
While the aesthetic might have undergone a drastic change, the musical confidence and risk-taking seen in “BRAT” persists. For any other artist, it would seem entirely out of the question to feature a spoken-word horror suite like “House” alongside a sweet love song like “Seeing Things.” For Charli, it works; the album flows very well and doesn’t feel disjointed. Alongside these more experimental songs, there are also pop hooks that make for catchy songs, like the infectious but lyrically dark “Dying for You.”
The production on the album is especially a stand-out. The strings and synthesizers on “Always Everywhere,” combined with Charli’s soothing vocals, make it a highlight and give the song an emotional edge. The track is immediately followed by “Chains of Love” — potentially the album’s biggest hit with already over 34 million streams on Spotify — which mixes the various themes very well, combining drama with passion and love.
Charli XCX also digs into her musical roots with this album, as the record is reminiscent of her 2013 debut album, “True Romance.” Though similar in their dark productions and excellent lyrics, gone is the millennial optimism seen in her debut. “Wuthering Heights” employs gothic elements to enhance the project, aligning it with the movie’s grimy, dark aesthetic. It’s a smart choice, as it distinguishes this album from Charli’s previous works while also showing off her classic strengths and experimental nature.
Not all of the musical risks landed, though, particularly with “My Reminder.” The production’s jaggedness and broken vocals took me out of an otherwise good track. The writing is very strong, but I missed the weight of the lyrics amid vocal production that made my headphones sound broken. The Sky Ferreira feature on “Eyes of the World” also doesn’t work, with Ferreira delivering rather monotone and off-pitch vocals in the second verse; it bogs down the rest of the song, which is otherwise pretty strong, lyrically discussing fame and greed.
The strongest moment of the album is the closer, “Funny Mouth.” This was co-written by Djo (Joe Keery) and Finn Keane, one of Charli’s go-to producers and songwriters who was responsible for “Von Dutch” and “Speed Drive,” two of Charli’s other hits. Keery, of “Stranger Things” fame, recently appeared with Charli at the Golden Globes, and Charli confirmed he helped write the song in a cheeky post saying “it’s djorli baby.” The closer finishes off the album excellently, tying it back to the gothic horror of the opener.
The album’s overlapping themes of passion, lust, pressure and paranoia apply not only to the companion film but possibly also to fame and Charli’s own life. Lyrics like “No matter what I do, no matter what I say / You’re gonna think the things you think about me anyway” highlight a very personal struggle of being in the spotlight. The album, though dramatic and coated in deep aesthetics, still has shining moments of personal reflection and reveals a lot about the artist. Every song feels authentic and like a part of Charli’s own catalog, not just an accompaniment to the film.
If this had been released as a standalone project, it would have been hailed as a neat, sonically cohesive effort. Singles like “Altars” already have great production and excellent lyrics, and connecting them to the film’s passion only serves to highlight their brilliance and make for an even better listening experience. Grounding the album in a world, like the film “Wuthering Heights,” strengthens it.
