Charli XCX Teases Song ‘House’ With John Cale for ‘Wuthering Heights’

The video teaser Chrli shared features eerie, horror film–like sound effects and the haunting sound of violins as Charli is pinned down by an elderly hand while staring directly into the camera. “Can I speak to you privately for a moment?” an ominous voice asks, as a raven-like bird flashes on screen.

In her post about the song, she called herself a “huge fan” of the Velvet Underground and recalled a quote from Cale in the band’s documentary, when he said, “any song had to be both ‘elegant and brutal.’”

Charli wrote: “I got really stuck on that phrase. I wrote it down in my notes app and would pull it up from time to time and think about what he meant.” The phrase came up as she made the music for this film, and so she decided to reach out to him for his opinion and they ended up collaborating.

“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,” she wrote. “I feel so lucky to have been able to work with John onn this song. I’ve been so exited to share it with you all, sitting quietly in anticipation.”