Charli XCX has never been an artist who stands still. With Wuthering Heights, she pivots again, this time into shadow. Released via Atlantic Records alongside Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of the same name, the 12-track project reframes the pop auteur within a windswept, gothic landscape.
The album opens with “House,” a haunting, slow-burning overture largely narrated by John Cale. Throughout the record, Charli’s presence hovers rather than dominates. The gloss and fluorescent immediacy of 2024’s Brat are nearly absent. In their place sit atmosphere, restraint, and writing that leans hard into obsession and longing.
Working closely with longtime collaborator Finn Keane, Charli constructs a sonic world that mirrors the emotional volatility of Emily Brontë’s original novel while retaining flickers of her club instincts. Those instincts surface in “Dying For You” and “Wall of Sound,” where distorted synths and percussive pulses cut through the fog. Yet even there, the energy feels controlled and compressed, almost claustrophobic. Nothing spills over. Elsewhere, the record breathes: “Always Everywhere” and “Altars” trade immediacy for introspection.
Charli began the project in late 2024 after Fennell initially approached her to contribute a single song. The screenplay expanded the assignment. Instead of delivering one track, she built a full concept album, mapping emotional peaks and fractures across 12 songs. Lead single “House” arrived in November 2025, followed closely by “Chains of Love,” with “Wall of Sound” landing as a surprise release earlier this year.
Below, you can find our ranking of Charli XCX’s most atmospheric era to date.
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