“Let it be perfect.”
On Nov. 10, 2025, Charli xcx released the first offering off her new album Wuthering Heights, written for Emerald Fennell’s 2026 film adaptation of the classic Emily Brontë novel of the same name.
Featuring the founding member of the Velvet Underground, John Cale, “House” is a complete 180 from Charli’s 2024 career-defining album Brat. While Brat brought house and club music back into the mainstream, “House” explores a gothic and more haunting atmosphere.
The song begins with an eerie spoken word poem by Cale, discussing the pain of perfection and beauty. The spoken words are accompanied by a disconnected, confusing string orchestra before exploding into the hard metal-like bass that completes the song.
“I’m a prisoner /
To Live for eternity /
I was thinking, “What is this place?” /
I thought it would be perfect /
I thought /
“I want it to be perfect.” /
Please.”
As Cale’s poem comes to an end almost two minutes into the song, Charli’s vocals are finally introduced along with industrial, distorted instrumentals and screams. It is in this latter section of the track where the brutality of the music takes full effect.
“I think I’m gonna die in this house /
I think I’m gonna die in this house /
I think I’m gonna die in this house.”
Charli’s vocals are mixed with the intention of sounding uncomfortable. She sounds raspy and sick, as if she is literally screaming out of fear that she is going to die in the house. Cale’s soft but menacing tone lingers throughout Charli’s refrain and brings the song to a close.
“In every room, I hear silence.”
Although this track is shockingly different from Charli’s more recent work, it is dripping in style and familiarity. Upon hearing “House” for the first time, I was immediately reminded of Charli’s debut album, 2013’s True Romance. “House” is undoubtedly much darker than the aforementioned album; however, sonically, they bear much similarity when you listen to the distortion of the vocals and electronic production.
The music video released in tandem with the song perfectly encapsulates the theme of the track. It is an unsettling visual feast featuring a disgruntled Charli xcx screaming and reeling in the walls of a Victorian-era house as Cale tries to comfort her. The video ends with Charli ominously walking alone into the woods, a perfect cliff-hanger for a song that evokes such an uncomfortable visceral reaction.
Shortly after the release of “House,” Charli released the second single off her Wuthering Heights soundtrack titled “Chains of Love.” The album is set to release along with the film on Feb. 13, 2026, and features 12 original songs.
