Altars Lyrics – Charli XCX

Read the full lyrics of “Altars” by Charli XCX from the album Wuthering Heights. Here, we have shared the complete “Altars” Lyrics along with its music video, deeper meaning and song credits.

In the whispering shadows between pop’s neon lights and gothic romance, Charli XCX’s “Altars” emerges as one of the most intriguing and cryptic offerings from her upcoming soundtrack for Wuthering Heights, the film adaptation by Emerald Fennell that hits cinemas and streaming platforms on February 13, 2026. Slotted as the ninth track on a rich 12-song collection created for the movie, “Altars” arrives at a moment when Charlotte Aitchison’s artistic trajectory has veered sharply from the electric kaleidoscope of Brat into something far more atmospheric, literary and emotionally raw. The entire Wuthering Heights album—released through Atlantic Records and produced primarily alongside longtime creative partner Finn Keane with additional contributions from Nathan Klein and Justin Raisen—was conceived after Fennell’s invitation in late 2024 spurred Charli to not just write a single song, but to build a world of music that mirrors the novel’s wild moors, obsessive love and tragic yearnings.

While “Altars” itself has not yet been teased as a single with a dedicated release date or duration, its placement within a soundtrack that already includes strands of synth-pop, string-infused heartbreak and gothic tension suggests it is anchored in the duality that defines this project: devotion and sacrifice, ritual and rupture. The title evokes religious and emotional consecration, fitting neatly into a suite of songs that explore themes of desire, torment and transcendence. Charli’s work on this album has been framed by critics and in Charli’s own commentary as a stark departure from club anthems to a more haunted, British, raw, wild and tortured sonic palette—a direction where “Altars” likely plays into the overarching narrative of spiritual intersection and dramatic existential stakes. Charli has embraced the emotional extremities of Emily Brontë’s source material, inviting listeners into tension-laden spaces where fervent love feels as sacrificial as a vow at a candlelit altar.

Seen in the context of her career—where hyperpop collabs and chart-bending singles like those on Brat once defined her public persona—”Altars” and its companion tracks reflect an artist pushing beyond conventional pop into darker, more cinematic territories. The Wuthering Heights soundtrack also features high-profile contributors like John Cale on the single House and Sky Ferreira on Eyes of the World, linking Charli’s experimental instincts to seasoned voices of alternative music. Though few lyrical details of “Altars” have been publicly discussed, the thematic arc of the album suggests haunting reflections on commitment, loss and the rites that bind characters to one another—ideas that resonate with both Brontë’s classic and Charli’s reinvented artistic voice. English in language and steeped in genre fluidity that spans from synth-tender passages to gothic undercurrents, “Altars” stands as a testament to Charli XCX’s evolving ambition: to make pop music that feels like a confession, a ritual, and a lament all at once.