What's happened
Charli XCX has released a 12-track soundtrack for Emily Fennell's adaptation of 'Wuthering Heights,' featuring collaborations with Finn Keane and Justin Raisen. The album blends unsettling soundscapes with pop elements, marking her first full-length since 'Brat.' Critics find it enjoyable but not groundbreaking.
What's behind the headline?
Deep Devotion to Artistic Vision
Charli XCX’s 'Wuthering Heights' soundtrack exemplifies her willingness to diverge from mainstream pop, embracing gothic and experimental sounds. The album’s focus on strings and atmospheric textures signals her intent to craft a cohesive artistic statement rather than just a film score.
Strategic Artistic Shift
This project marks a deliberate shift from her previous work, emphasizing mood and narrative over pop hooks. The collaboration with John Cale and sampling of Wolf Alice’s 'Don’t Delete the Kisses' underscores her reverence for high art and underground influences, positioning her as a serious artist exploring gothic themes.
Industry and Audience Impact
While critics find the album enjoyable, it’s not seen as revolutionary. Its release during a period of artistic experimentation suggests XCX is consolidating her reputation as a boundary-pusher. The soundtrack’s focus on mood and narrative may influence future soundtrack projects, encouraging artists to pursue more cohesive, standalone works.
Future Outlook
This release will likely deepen her artistic credibility and open doors for more experimental projects. It also signals a potential trend where pop artists increasingly blend soundtrack work with their discography, blurring lines between film and music industries.
What the papers say
The Scotsman highlights Charli XCX’s ambition to create a standalone album that functions as a soundtrack, emphasizing her experimental approach and collaborations with John Cale and Wolf Alice. The AP News notes the album’s 12 tracks, collaborations with Finn Keane and Justin Raisen, and its role as her first full-length since 'Brat.' The Independent discusses the album’s gothic influences, instrumentation, and how it reflects her artistic evolution, contrasting it with her previous pop work. All sources agree on her intent to explore darker themes and her focus on mood and narrative, though they differ slightly on the album’s impact and originality.
How we got here
Charli XCX, known for her experimental pop, worked on this soundtrack during her 'Brat' album era. Inspired by Emily Brontë’s novel, she aimed to create a standalone album that also functions as a film score. The project involved collaborations with notable songwriters and producers, reflecting her interest in exploring darker, gothic themes with new instrumentation like strings.
Go deeper
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Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and music video director.
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Emerald Lilly Fennell (; born 1 October 1985) is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards...
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Wuthering Heights is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two extensive upland estates and their landowning families on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and...
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Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel Wuthering Heights. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte and Anne entitled Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton