Pop trailblazer Charli xcx has joined forces with Velvet Underground icon John Cale for her haunting new single, ‘House’, marking a daring step into cinematic soundscapes and a fresh creative chapter.
The track, which grew out of her acclaimed 2024 album brat, features Cale opening with an eerie original poem, setting the tone for a tense and evocative collaboration over searing sawtooths and unsettling, vast swathes of sound. Written with frequent partner Finn Kean, ‘House’ is the lead single for the upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation, directed by Emerald Fennel and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
In a heartfelt statement, Charli shared how Cale’s description of The Velvet Underground as “elegant and brutal” became the emotional core of the song, revealing, “It made me cry.” With its period-inspired visuals and boundary-pushing sound, ‘House’ perfectly balances pop’s boundary-pushing modernity with a deep respect for avant-garde legacies.
