Charli XCX has collaborated with Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale on the new song 'House,' the first original track for Emerald Fennell's upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights. The trippy video features the artists in a remote house, evoking a horror atmosphere. The song draws inspiration from Cale's philosophy of music being 'elegant and brutal.'
Background
The collaboration began when director Emerald Fennell contacted Charli XCX last Christmas to write a song for her film adaptation of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Charli, inspired by the script, worked with frequent collaborator Finn Keane to create multiple tracks capturing the story's themes of passion, pain, and the harsh English moors. A few years earlier, Charli had been influenced by Todd Haynes' 2021 documentary The Velvet Underground, particularly Cale's description of the band's music as 'elegant and brutal.' This phrase guided her songwriting, leading her to reach out to Cale while on tour in Austin.
The Song and Collaboration
Charli and Cale connected over the phone, discussing ideas including turning elements of 'House' into a poem. Cale recorded a spoken-word piece that moved Charli to tears. The track features tense strings, Cale's meditation on transformation and doubt, and builds to a intense wall of sound under Charli's auto-tuned vocals, embracing a cinematic, goth style suited to the film's brooding tone. 'House' marks Charli's first new music since her 2024 album Brat and its companion.
Video and Release Details
Directed by Mitch Ryan, the video depicts Charli and Cale isolated in a remote house, with haunting imagery like candle wax on skin, slow-motion crows, and shadowy figures. It premiered alongside the song's release on November 10, 2025. Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, is scored by Anthony Willis and hits theaters on February 14, 2026. Charli expressed excitement about the project in a social media note: 'I feel so lucky to have been able to work with John on this song.'
