By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – For the first time in five years, two of the most influential figures in modern alternative pop have converged once again, bringing a haunting new dimension to one of literature’s most enduring tragedies. Charli XCX and Sky Ferreira, whose previous collaboration on the 2019 track "Cross You Out" served as a cornerstone of the Charli album era, have returned with a new joint effort titled "Eyes of the World." This latest release does not arrive as a standalone single but rather as a centerpiece of the original soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated cinematic adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. The track marks a significant cultural moment, bridging the gap between the high-octane energy of Charli’s recent "Brat" summer and a more somber, atmospheric landscape defined by the windswept moors of Yorkshire.
The reunion of Charli XCX and Sky Ferreira is a development that has sent ripples through the music industry and fan communities alike. Both artists have carved out unique niches within the pop pantheon—Charli as a prolific, genre-bending innovator who thrives on constant evolution, and Ferreira as an enigmatic, critically acclaimed figure whose rare releases are treated as major events. Their 2019 collaboration was a synth-pop exploration of emotional shedding and personal liberation; by contrast, "Eyes of the World" leans into the cinematic requirements of Fennell’s vision, offering a soundscape that is as much about tension and historical weight as it is about melodic hooks. The track serves as a bridge between the contemporary pop world and the 19th-century gothic tradition, a feat that requires a delicate balance of modernity and timelessness.
Emerald Fennell, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, has a reputation for using music as a visceral storytelling tool. Her decision to enlist Charli XCX to curate and compose for Wuthering Heights suggests a departure from the traditional orchestral scores often associated with period dramas. The film itself stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the iconic and ill-fated lovers Cathy and Heathcliff, a casting choice that already signaled a fresh, perhaps more provocative take on the source material. By placing Charli XCX at the helm of the soundtrack, Fennell has signaled that this version of Wuthering Heights will prioritize the raw, obsessive, and destructive nature of the central romance over polite historical accuracy.
Charli XCX’s involvement in the project marks her first major musical venture following the cultural phenomenon of her 2024 album, Brat. While Brat was characterized by its neon-green aesthetics, club-ready beats, and a meta-commentary on celebrity and internet culture, the Wuthering Heights project sees her pivoting toward a darker, more literary sensibility. In a detailed post shared via her Substack in late 2025, Charli described the creative process as an immersion into a world that felt "undeniably raw, wild, sexual, gothic, British, [and] tortured." She noted that the project allowed her to explore a different kind of writing, one that embraced "actual real sentences, punctuation and grammar," suggesting a shift from the conversational, stream-of-consciousness lyricism that defined her recent work to a more structured, poetic approach.
The soundtrack’s rollout has been carefully managed, with several tracks preceding the release of "Eyes of the World." Listeners have already been introduced to "Wall of Sound," a title that nods to Phil Spector’s legendary production technique while likely twisting it through Charli’s industrial-pop lens, and "Chains of Love," which further establishes the themes of romantic imprisonment central to Brontë’s novel. Perhaps most intriguing was the release of "House," a collaboration featuring the legendary John Cale. Cale’s presence on the soundtrack provides a lineage of avant-garde credibility, linking Charli’s modern experimentalism with the art-rock foundations of the 1960s and 70s. This eclectic mix of collaborators—from the velvet-voiced Ferreira to the experimental pioneer Cale—indicates that the soundtrack is designed to be a sprawling, multi-generational exploration of the "gothic" sound.
Sky Ferreira’s participation is particularly noteworthy given her selective output over the last decade. Since her 2013 debut Night Time, My Time, Ferreira has become a symbol of the "slow-burn" artist, with fans waiting years between glimpses of new material. Her 2022 single "Don’t Forget" hinted at a return to the spotlight, but it was her 2024 track "Leash"—featured in Halina Reijn’s film Babygirl—that reaffirmed her status as a go-to artist for directors seeking a specific blend of grit and vulnerability. "Leash" accompanied a film centered on a complex, power-imbalanced relationship starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, a thematic precursor of sorts to the toxic, obsessive dynamics of Cathy and Heathcliff. In "Eyes of the World," Ferreira’s distinctive, slightly detached vocal delivery provides the perfect foil to Charli’s more urgent production, creating a sense of distance and longing that mirrors the unbridgeable gaps between the characters in the film.
The cast of Fennell’s Wuthering Heights further underscores the project’s prestige. Alongside Robbie and Elordi, the film features Hong Chau, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, and Owen Cooper. This ensemble, combined with the soundtrack’s high-profile contributors, suggests a production that is aiming for both critical acclaim and a significant cultural footprint. The film’s focus on the "tortured" and "sexual" aspects of the novel, as described by Charli, aligns with Fennell’s previous work, which often deconstructs power dynamics and the darker impulses of the human psyche. The music, therefore, must do more than just sit in the background; it must act as the heartbeat of the moors, reflecting the psychological turbulence of its protagonists.
For Charli XCX, this project also serves as a transition point following the release of The Moment, a mockumentary directed by Aidan Zamiri that chronicled the whirlwind rollout of Brat. While The Moment served as a satirical look at the machinery of modern pop stardom, the Wuthering Heights soundtrack represents a return to earnest, high-concept world-building. It challenges the notion that a "pop star" must remain within the confines of the charts, instead positioning Charli as a versatile composer capable of interpreting classic literature through a contemporary lens.
As "Eyes of the World" makes its way into the public consciousness, it stands as a testament to the enduring chemistry between Charli and Ferreira. Their voices, though stylistically different, share a certain "alt-pop" DNA that feels right at home in a story about outsiders and social outcasts. The song’s inclusion in the soundtrack ensures that Fennell’s film will be discussed not just as a cinematic event, but as a musical one. By weaving together the threads of gothic literature, modern electronic production, and the unique personas of her collaborators, Charli XCX has created a sonic landscape that feels as expansive and unforgiving as the Yorkshire hills themselves.
The broader implications of this soundtrack for the music industry are also significant. In an era where the traditional album cycle is constantly being disrupted, the "soundtrack as a curated art piece" (reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther or Lorde’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1) allows artists to experiment with themes and sounds they might not explore on a solo LP. For Charli XCX, Wuthering Heights is an opportunity to flex her muscles as a producer and curator, proving that her "persona"—a concept she mentioned in her Substack post—is fluid enough to inhabit the 1800s just as easily as the 2020s. As the film prepares for its full release, "Eyes of the World" remains a haunting invitation into this new, darkly reimagined world, where the ghosts of the past are given a modern, synth-driven voice.