Review Summary: Goth pop vibes
This project is the official soundtrack to the new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. And before anyone comes for me: yes, reviewing a soundtrack without seeing the movie is normally a fool’s errand. Soundtracks exist to serve the film first; the standalone listening experience is secondary. But given the singles, music videos and press around this album, I think engaging it as a standalone experience is fair game. In that context, this is actually a pretty clever follow-up move from Charli. After releasing a career-topping, cultural zeitgeist album like
Brat, any 'mainline' Charli album was going to face absurd levels of pressure and expectations. So instead, she gives us something lower-stakes, more niche, more atmospheric, and arguably not even part of her “main canon.” It buys her breathing room before her next real full release.
The album brings atonal strings, cold sharp textures, sparse arrangements, dramatic swells, odd industrial noises, and of course pop hooks. It absolutely creates a sense of place—this grim, toxic, obsessive love story that could be set on a foggy cliffside. It’s a quieter, more restrained project compared to the tits-out bombast of
Brat. In some ways, that works in its favor; in others, it holds the album back.
Let’s talk highlights first. They are pretty much the singles.
"House" is the big one, the viral hit. The track features John Cale of The Velvet Underground reciting poetry over sinister, minimal instrumentation. It's some Edgar Allen Poe ***. Charli then comes in with distorted, fried screams that are genuinely scarier than most death metal vocals. This track is bold, theatrical, disturbing, and completely unique. Which is also a shame because nothing else here goes this hard or this weird, I would have loved more tracks like it.
"Always Everywhere" is the centrepeice of the album and features swirling orchestral arrangements which give it a massive, windswept feeling. It’s one of the few moments where the soundtrack feels grand rather than minimal and brooding.
"Chains of Love" is the biggest out-and-out pop banger. Romantic, catchy, and I love the echo effects on Charli’s vocals—she sounds distant, like she’s singing from another room of a crumbling Victorian manor. Fits the themes perfectly and gives the album some much-needed melody and momentum.
"Wall of Sound" is also decent with layering that lives up to the title.
Also in the tracklist is
“Dying for You” which feels the closest to standard Charli. Poppy, club-tinged, but still haunted by these ghostly synths. It’s good, just not surprising.
“Altars” is ethereal and nicely sung, enjoyable but low-key. Doesn’t have that big moment or emotional peak, but it works for what it is.
“Eyes of the World” features Sky Ferreira whose raspy tone adds some texture… but the song ultimately doesn’t stand out in the long run.
“Out of Myself” has a cool blend of orchestral elements with jittery electronics and big bass hits. The kinky ass lyrical themes on this one and much of the album match the story’s toxic romance energy.
“Seeing Things”,
“My Reminder”,
“Funny Mouth” are all well done, but fall more into “soundtrack” territory than being truly attention grabbing.
And that's the rub - a lot of the album feels like background score rather than fully realized songs. The percussion is also sparse, sometimes too sparse as I would have liked more oomph in many tracks instead of just ethereal vibes. You’re left wishing for more moments like
“House” or
“Chains of Love” where the music grabs you rather than quietly broods in the corner. It’s not that any of these tracks are bad—they’re well-crafted and serve a mood—but the standalone listening experience can feel flat in stretches.
Charli has delivered a dark, atmospheric, romantic, occasionally frightening soundtrack album that successfully builds a sense of place and narrative—even if you’ve never touched the original novel. The highlights are very high, with
“House”,
“Chains of Love”, and
“Always Everywhere” being clear standouts. But the rest of the album often drifts into more traditional soundtrack territory: effective, moody, but not especially attention-grabbing.
Full video review - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khx5MSnlfsY
