Charli XCX Drops Emotional New Song Chains Of Love From Wuthering Heights

Charli xcx has released the haunting song Chains of Love from the Wuthering Heights film.

Just days after unveiling House, a dark and gothic collaboration with John Cale of The Velvet Underground, the Apple singer returns with another preview of the upcoming soundtrack LP. This one is a somber ballad that perfectly complements the tone of the new trailer for the Emerald Fennell adaptation.

The erotic film stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi and is expected to arrive in 2026.

House, which was co-written with Finn Keane, includes a spoken-word section contributed by Cale.

Charli started writing music for the film after Fennell approached her in late 2024. She described the project as a dramatic shift from her previous album, Brat, and said the new songs capture the emotional weight and bleak mood of the original story.

Alongside her music work, Charli is expanding her presence in film. She will appear in A24’s The Moment, which is based on her own concept and directed by Aidan Zamiri. The film marks the first co-production from her new company, studio365.

Charli also has several other acting roles on the way, including Daniel Goldhaber’s Faces of Death remake, Greg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist, Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights Of Hero, Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice, and Pete Ohs’ Erupcja.

In an in-depth message about the project, she shared, “I got a call from Emerald Fennell last Christmas asking whether I would consider working on a song for her adaptation of Wuthering Heights. I read the script and immediately felt inspired so Finn Keane and I began working on not just one but many songs that we felt connected to the world she was creating. After being so in the depths of my previous album, I was excited to escape into something entirely new, entirely opposite. When I think of Wuthering Heights, I think of many things. I think of passion and pain. I think of England. I think of the Moors, I think of the mud and the cold. I think of determination and grit."

She continued speaking about her admiration for The Velvet Underground, saying, “A few years ago, I watched Todd Haynes’ documentary about The Velvet Underground. As many of you know I am a huge fan of the band and was really taken by the documentary. One thing that stuck with me was how John Cale described a key sonic requirement of The Velvet Underground. That any song had to be both ‘elegant and brutal’. I got really stuck on that phrase. I write it down on my notes app and would pull it up from time to time and think about what he meant.

“When working on music for this film, ‘elegant and brutal’ was a phrase I kept coming back to. One day, whilst on tour in Austin, Finn and I went to the studio and wrote the bones for a song that would eventually become House. When the summer ended, I was still ruminating on John’s words. So I decided to reach out to him to get his opinion on the songs that his phrase had so deeply inspired, but also to see whether he might want to collaborate on any.”

Charli was brought to tears when she heard Cale’s contribution.

She added, “We got connected, we spoke on the phone and wow… that voice, so elegant, so brutal. I sent him some songs and we started talking specifically about House. We spoke about the idea of a poem. He recorded something and sent it to me. Something that only John could do. And it was… well, it made me cry.

“I feel so lucky to have been able to work with John on this song. I have been so excited to share it with you all, sitting quietly in anticipation.

“Love you all, let’s fall in love again and again.”

The Wuthering Heights soundtrack album will be released on February 13, 2026.