It’s a New Music Friday the Thirteenth. Another shining moment was created this week by Charli XCX. This week, her latest work gets a closer look. Read on to see a full list of new releases out now.
The Best of New Music Friday:
Charli XCX- Wuthering Heights
It’s been nearly two years since Charli XCX made history with Brat, the bold studio album that could likely go down as the best dance record of this decade. Now she’s back with her first long-form work since. Wuthering Heights is a soundtrack to a movie of the same name. Brat and the subsequent burnout it caused Charli actually created the path for this soundtrack’s success. Struck by the film’s script, Charli felt inspired to write music that helped tell the story inside. In addition to guiding this movie’s screenplay, Charli is pushing the soundtrack genre and world further than it’s gone before.
In 2013, The Great Gatsby soundtrack was executive produced by Jay-Z and director Baz Luhrmann, featuring a mix of modern pop, hip-hop, and jazz. Key artists included Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, Florence + The Machine, will.i.am and Jack White. Because none of these artists were alive in the Roaring Twenties, critics were pissed that the film’s soundtrack wasn’t exactly in-line with its setting. The movie Wuthering Heights takes place between the late 1700s and early 1800s. News flash: Charli XCX was not alive then. But her brilliant style that has become the blueprint for pop music in the 2020s, combined with some string instruments playing along with the film’s Yorkshire moors of Northern England make for absolute cinema.
It’s like the world has forgotten that movies are supposed to be entertaining. This is a grandeur arrangement, a love story in a unique timeline underscored with moving music meant to be heard on large speakers in a big dark room. Charli is matching her style up with an unusual partner, and both her musical style and the film are better off for it.
Now to the music itself: Fans will probably be a bit surprised when they hear John Cale’s dark dramatic voice speaking over squeaking horns at the beginning of Wuthering Heights’ first song “House,” only for Charli to swoop in with autotune and the same industrial mixes she once played at illegal underground London Raves. “Wall of Sound” features nothing but strings playing underneath Charli’s trademark autotuned vocals. Don’t worry–it’s not all “untraditional Charli.” Songs like “Dying for You” and “Chains of Love” will definitely be making playlists at local Charli XCX dance parties very soon.
Someone with the level of fame and superstardom Charli has is in a deserving position to be creative in any way they see fit. If writing music for a romance tragedy is the best way to get over the slump she felt after Brat, then it’s one of the most creative ways to get out of a rut. This is an exciting and entertaining moment in her career. Fans should sit back, recline, and enjoy the show with popcorn, Swedish Fish, or their movie snack of choice. This is entertainment after all.
Read our New Music Friday column featuring Brat from June 2024.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
Angel Du$t – Cold 2 the Touch [Run for Cover]
Converge – Love Is Not Enough [Epitaph]
Danny L Harle – Cerulean [XL]
Jill Scott – To Whom This May Concern [The Orchard]
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
Ben is a music journalist living and working in Chicago. They joined Beyond The Stage as an intern and have stayed on the staff for several years. Now serving on the editorial board, Ben is proud to be BTS’ Music Projects Manager, coordinating coverage between international record labels and our staff. Ben has interviewed, photographed and written about bands from across the world. Ben has lived all over the United States working in television and media. They are an Emmy Award-winning writer. Ben can be found spinning records as ‘DJ Wearing Sunglasses’ in clubs and basements across the US.
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