Anyone who knows me or follows this blog probably has an idea of how much I dig Charli Xcx. For about a decade, I have felt like she is at the pinnacle of Pop music. No one was pushing boundaries like her. She took the genre to the extreme. This is evident by how many modern Pop artists are inspired by her. After many years of being underrated, Charli finally got the love she was due after the release of her 2024 album, Brat. It was considered by many critics and fans to be among the best (if not the best) albums of the year. Brat helped cement Charli Xcx as a top Pop artist of her generation. Because of my affinity for her music, I will always check out anything she puts out. In her latest work, Charli has now actually created the whole soundtrack for the Wuthering Heights movie. I do not know a lot about the book Wuthering Heights. I know it is considered an all-time classic, though, and I am interested in checking it out. This Wuthering Heights album is very different from what one would expect from Charli. She departed from her typical experimental Synth-Pop, opting for a more grandiose sound that better fits the movie’s theme. Below, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite tracks from the record, then give some overall thoughts to close things out. Please let me know in the comments how you feel about Charli Xcx’s Wuthering Heights!

WALL OF SOUND

‘Wall of Sound’ is one of the many songs from this record that have been popping off from this record since it came out, and it is not difficult to see why. I feel like ‘Wall of Sound’ is a pretty apt title for this track. The sonic direction of this one feels like a wave that keeps building toward a crash that never comes. The synths that drive this track get more intense and grating as the track progresses. The sound of these synths has a very warm and vivid energy to it. There are squeaking sound effects that gain power as the track progresses adding to the power of the track. The vocals on this song are not as powerful as the instrumental. They kind of take a back burner to the instrumental, and bring some softness to the track. On ‘Wall Of Sound,’ Charli sings about trying to resist feelings she wants to suppress which keep getting stronger and stronger. 

DYING FOR YOU

‘Dying For You’ is the other song from this record that immediately popped off. It is already becoming a TikTok trend and is destined to be a big hit. Out of everything on this record, ‘Dying For You’ feels like the most “traditional” Pop record(if one could say that about anything here). In other words, it feels the most radio-friendly. This song feels very inspired by New Wave music from the 1980s. The synths that drive this one have such a groovy retro Synth-Pop sound to them. The beat is fast-paced and fun, giving the song an addictive club energy. I will say, the weird outro for this track kind of takes away from that club energy, but it’s still a cool instrumental. Charli’s vocals on ‘Dying For You’ are not the most riveting, but they do go well with the energy of the track. On ‘Dying For You,’ Charli sings about her infatuation with a partner. 

OUT OF MYSELF

This record has a lot of stimulating music that can immediately draw someone in. ‘Out of Myself’ is the track that grabbed me the most out of everything so far. This is the one song that I immediately downloaded when first listening to this album. I will say, ‘Out of Myself’ feels more adjacent to the music of some of Charli’s last two records than a lot of the rest of the record. Particularly, I can hear the similarities to the music from how i’m feeling now(which is an underrated masterpiece, by the way). The synths that drive this song are so powerful and bold. The song has a very atmospheric and celestial tone that makes it stand out. I love the strength of the melody. This song feels very light and very heavy at the same time. Charli’s vocals match the power of the instrumental and add to the track’s emotional sentiment. On ‘Out of Myself,’ Charli sings about how her partner’s energy and presence make her feel above and beyond how she feels in her current life. 

OPEN UP

‘Open Up’ immediately follows ‘Out of Myself’ on the tracklist. This feels like the most succinct transition of the record. When listening to it all the way through, it is tough to notice that we moved onto another track at first. Sonically, ‘Open Up’ kind of feels like a slower and softer version of the song that precedes it. The tone of the synths on this track is very similar to that of the previous song. It has even more of a floaty and celestial feeling though, which is saying a lot. At 1:25, ‘Open Up’ is easily the shortest song on the album. For some reason, though, it feels as impactful as anything here. I have not seen the movie yet, but I would imagine the scene that contains this one is very emotional(it makes me imagine an intimate scene in the rain). The vocals kind of feel like they are above or behind the listener. They are very faint, but still feel impactful. Lyrically, there is not much to decipher her. Charli just sings the phrase ‘Open Up’ throughout the track. 

EYES OF THE WORLD (FEAT. SKY FERREIRA)

There are several songs on this record(like ‘Open Up,’ for instance), that don’t feel like they could be a stand-alone hit and that they are solely good in the context of the movie, ‘Eyes Of The World’ is not one of those. This is one of the weirdest and most grating songs here, but it is also one(if not the most) enthralling. This song is jarring, vivid, and brash. The instrumental is extremely powerful, and the vocals match. The synths that drive this one are distorted and huge. It almost sounds like a futuristic cyberpunk symphony. There is something so classical about this track. It is also very dystopian and kind of creepy in a way. This is a song that will induce emotions and feelings. There is no way to listen to this one and not feel the mightiness of the track. I really like the chemistry between Charli and Sky Ferreira on this one. Charli’s higher pitch and the husky way in which Sky Ferreira sings mesh very well. On ‘Eyes Of The World,’ Charli and Sky sing about not letting the opinions of others dictate how they feel about themselves. 

FUNNY MOUTH

‘Funny Mouth’ is the final song from this record. It certainly does have an outro feeling to it due to its sonic direction and overall energy. This is another one of the weirder-sounding songs on the record. Sonically, it is sort of comparable to ‘Wall of Sound.’ It also sort of feels adjacent to the late Sophie’s music. The synths that drive this one are haunting. This track has a pretty creepy feeling to it, but that is part of what makes it captivating. The song starts out with a sweet and soft tone, but gets harsher and meaner as the song progresses. Vocally, this may be the strongest song here. Charli shows her range on ‘Funny Mouth.’ Her vocals really add to the emotional element of the track. On ‘Funny Mouth,’ Charli sings about persevering through lost love and knowing things will work out in the end.

Considering my admiration of Charli Xcx and the anticipation surrounding this record, I was pretty hyped to listen to Wuthering Heights. I also did not know what to expect at all after hearing the album’s lead single. Even with no expectations, I was not prepared for the sonic direction of this one. As a whole, it is pretty unlike anything I have listened to. Of course, there are familiar sounds and styles of music on this record. There are a few songs that definitely call back to some of her older music, but for the most part, Wuthering Heights feels original and new. I have seen some online comparisons to Brat, but I do not sense this at all. Like I said when talking about ‘Out of Myself,’ I can see some comparisons to how i’m feeling now, especially through the eccentricity of the record. Charli herself compares the album to True Romance. I can see where this comes from due to the Gothic feeling of the music here. Ultimately, this album feels very individual sonically and lyrically. It is almost in a vacuum in terms of its sound and energy. There is a lot of this record that is kind of jolting and weird, but that makes it stand out in a cool way. Although I have not seen the movie yet, the music here does fit the energy that the trailers exude. I would not say that Wuthering Heights is for everyone. I am sure as a whole it sounds better in the context of the movie. But as a standalone project, there are a lot of redeeming qualities and cool tracks. Vocally Charli kills it and really matches the emotion the movie(presumably) has. Lyrically, the album depicts feelings of raw love and passion, which obviously fit into the theme of the movie as well. Overall, Wuthering Heights is an experimental record that is unlike anything I have heard in a while. It’s strange, cool, acute, and romantic. It has a lot to love individually, but I am confident it works even better within the context of the movie(I will confirm this soon).