Charli xcx’s latest project — a 12 song soundtrack for the newest adaption of “Wuthering Heights,” directed by Emerald Fennell — is set to release in theaters on Feb. 13 and will go by the same name as the film. Charli has released songs for soundtracks in the past, such as “Vroom Vroom” in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.”

Charli’s music has heavily leaned into hyper- and electro-pop in her most recent projects with her 2024 album “Brat” taking pop culture by storm following its release. Charli’s recent focuses have shifted to the new Fennell movie, signifying the end of the iconic “Brat Era.” The first teaser trailer of “Wuthering Heights” featured the song “Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek;” a remixed version of Charli’s “Everything is romantic” singlehandly tying “Brat” back to her newer work.

Artistry has always been something Charli has done intentionally. Her most recent album cover depicts a submissive yet sultry snapshot at the breakfast table between Catherine and Heathcliff — the main characters of “Wuthering Heights” — signifying a significant switch from most of her other works.

The lead single for the “Wuthering Heights” album is “Chains of Love” which was released in November last year. “Chains of Love,” produced by Finn Keane and Justin Raisen, opens with a beat that follows Charli’s well known synth style. The tone is immediately set with the opening lines: “I’d rather lay down in thorns / I’d rather drown in a stream / I’d rather light myself on fire / I’d rather wear all these scars / I’d rather watch my skin bleed.” Charli’s use of an asyndeton — the absence of a conjunction — gives these lyrics a stilted rhythm, like a heartbeat. This deep proclamation of self-harm and mutilation opens the listener into the new world Charli is creating.

The beat drops to the chorus which explicitly states the main point of the song: the love in question is painful and self-destructive. The chorus continues with an admittance of how the subject shouldn’t feel the way they do, yet counterintuitively continues to stay. While Charli’s previous songs have lyrics that depict anger, such as “Sympathy is a knife,” Charli has always coupled these with her more upbeat style that is notably missing in this composition.

The bridge to “Chains of Love” seems relatively simple at a first glance. The repeated “Oh” may not convey lyrical genius, but it has an intensified sense of yearning attached to it that highlights the themes explored in the track. Additionally, the instrumentals in this song and production lean in a different direction than what fans are used to hearing from Charli, leaning into more orchestral sounds from the violin, viola, cello and double bass with arrangement done by Gareth Murphy.

Critics and fans have argued that “Wuthering Heights” isn’t the love story many think it is, an opinion supported by the “over-sexualized” promotion. Other promotions marketing the film as the “greatest love story of all time” are perceived as a dig to long time fans of the classic novel. While at an initial glance the book and film sound like love stories, Charli suggests that there is more than just infatuation at hand and acknowledges the other sides of love. Love can be ugly and an inescapable form of self-imprisonment.

If you would like to have a reflective evening with your situationship this Valentine’s Day, I suggest a “Wuthering Heights” listening party.