Wolf Alice’s Return: A Sonic Self-Portrait

Long awaited and feverishly desired, Wolf Alice’s return has completely reestablished their vice-like grip on their oh-so tasteful audience. ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ has been a drilling earworm as of late, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Despite the ringing vocals of Ellie Rowsell haunting my dreams, it’s not the uncomfortable experience you might expect, but instead one that nags with the relief sweet resurgence. 

Let us take a moment, take a glimpse into my crystal ball. Move past silly predictions and dusty opinions, and we’re seeing sold out tours, crowds plunged into bacchic chaos and ultimately, a truly superstar band. They’ve certainly got a glorious foundational discography under their belts, with a Brit Award, Grammy nomination and Mercury Prize already being treasured from Blue Weekend (2021), Visions Of A Life (2017), and My Love Is Cool (2015). So far, they’ve been well-suited to our teenage coming of age experiences, listening to ‘Silk’ during a bedroom breakup, and driving in summer with the windows down to ‘Lisbon’ in your best friends fiat fiesta. Nostalgia is perhaps already taking root, I’m not meaning Snapchat memories or BeReals, but genuine, heartfelt memories stitched into your skin. Alas, the times have changed, as have we, older, hopefully wiser, and better suited to the dawning glory of Wolf Alice’s coming summer album, The Clearing. 

Ironic and playful in parts, but also duly serious and straight talking, Rowsell’s songwriting capabilities are coming to an absolute peak, your twenties will hurt you she tells us. We know. Human connection of a whole generation of fans comes together in this explorative record, punctuated by appreciative nods to 70s rock. A sonic bravado, with no fuss on the sides, gives us a clean cut, and ambitiously keen listen, yet there are moments of freewheeling frivolity throughout. Today marks their second single release, ‘The Sofa’, which already had thousands of fans singing along after its debut at the band’s headline Primavera set. It’s a microcosmic moment of The Clearing, both sonically and thematically. Letting go, without clinging guilt and overcoming disappointment rolls out best in this piano ballad, a far cry from the punchy chaos of ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’.Rowsell abandons self-consciousness in the name of serenity in a daydreamy self-portrait. 

“It’s about not trying so hard to figure everything out, reflecting on getting older and trying not to agonise over things that have or haven’t happened in your life” shares Ellie. “It’s also about trying to get to grips with the polarising aspects of one’s life when you’re in a band. You’ve just played a huge tour, and you come home, and you have your dinner on the sofa. For me, it’s summed up in how I treat TV. I used to never watch the same thing twice because I thought I’ve got so much to discover And now I’m like, it’s OK if I just want to rewatch Peep Show for the thirteenth time”

After catching them in Liverpool earlier in summer, there were definitely nervous ideas about their return. Had I completely over romanticised them? Had I succumbed to sentimentality at a mere 21 years of age? Luckily I was boldly wrong, as I watched them march out, starry eyed and screaming in the scouse downpour, I knew, as did everyone else in that field. This return will definitely not be polite, not meekly confining to indiepop mainstream, but brash, raucous and screaming in your face through a megaphone. Superstardom suits the 4-piece, a well deserved confidence shimmers alongside their decadent staging, swinging art deco curtains framing the wonder of what is happening onstage. Swooping from soft, tear-jerking numbers, to pounding, rattling bangers is no easy feat for a band far their senior. But as we know, they’ve got a barrel of experience waiting in the wings and their shows this year promise to be chaos. In a friendship, joy, love and happiness of course. Following the release of The Clearing out 22nd August, Wolf Alice are back on tour for the first time in 3 years, brightening up our winters with an extensive run of UK shows, hitting Leeds First Direct Arena on Friday 5th December, and I’d be heartbroken to miss it.

Words by Millie Cain.