Adam KennyUK Indie Darlings
Wolf Alice are one of the most beloved indie bands to come out of the 2010 UK music scene. Lead by Ellie Rowsell and Joff Odie, Wolf Alice have gone on to create quite a decent catalogue for themselves. The group are one of those bands that just have a consistently solid output. When new music is on the way, you know there’s going to be a couple of songs that catch your ear.
Wolf Alice have not been shy of mainstream success, specifically with songs like “Bros” from their 2010 essential album My Love Is Cool as well as “Don’t Delete the Kisses” off of Visions Of A Life. “Bros” being a classic somber and warm indie rock song that encapsulates this feeling of youth and freedom that invokes this inescapable coming of age. A nostalgic song that makes you think of what has passed by and what has remained. “Don’t Delete the Kisses” on the other hand is this lush, ethereal and textured indie pop love song. The chorus being one of the most unforgettable hooks of the 2010s. There’s not a soul in Ireland or the UK that hasn’t heard Ellie’s big question that she chants over subtle synths and drums, “What if it’s not meant for me? Love”.
Blue Weekend and The Clearing
In 2021, Wolf Alice released Blue Weekend which was really well liked by critics and fans. Some believe it to be one of the best album’s of the 2020s. The album’s sound was familiar territory for the band, but maintained this fresh and alternative aesthetic that you could get lost in. Songs like “Lipstick on the Glass” and “Delicious Things” being personal stand outs for me. Blue Weekend was a great addition to an already strong set of albums, and personally holds quite a bit of meaning for me.
Push on to 2025, Wolf Alice are back at it again with their new album “The Clearing” that introduces a softer sound for the band. Whilst they’ve never been shy of a few ballads or strippped back songs like “Turn to Dust” and “No Hard Feelings”, The Clearing has brought in a much more direct and clear sound for the band. There was always this mysteriously atmospheric texture to their songs. Songs that you don’t need to sit down and truly disect. The songwriting if anything is very straight forward. The mystique stems from the sound the band has as opposed to what they want to say. You know they’re singing about love, but you might miss what Ellie’s quiet vocals that are drenched in uncertainty and yearning are saying like on “Don’t Delete the Kisses”. The Clearing, ironically, makes things quite clear.
Blooming Thorns with high notes!
The album kicks off with “Thorns” which features some strings with Ellie’s vocals being the centre focus. It also establishes the overall sound pretty quickly. It almost has this baroque and somewhat cooky sound to it. “Boom Baby Bloom” which was the leading single for the album, picks up the tempo where you get this kind boom clap beat to it with Ellie’s drawn out vocals. The chorus bringing back some of that Wolf Alice sound we’re used to where Ellie’s vocals are absolutely insane. She goes HIGH with her notes on this track and it works so well. The songwriting is quite catchy as well. The hook will stick in your head for quite a while after.
“Just Two Girls”, is a cute song. Sonically it’s quite a bit calmer than the previous track, but it’s got a good tempo and kick to it. Ellie’s vocals are again gorgeous here. You just simply can’t have Wolf Alice without Ellie Rowsell. She’s integral to the bands sound and aesthetic, something she makes sure to remind us of throughout the record.
Did the band go the easy route?
“Passenger Seat” is one of the more forgettable tracks on the album. It’s not bad, but it’s quaint, quick and to the point. A common theme across The Clearing. There’s very little build up or experimentation on the album in terms of structure. You get a verse, chorus, a verse and maybe a bridge to the final chorus. It’s not rocket science by any means.
The Clearing isn’t a difficult album which has its pros and cons. Pros being it’s quite easy to listen to. You can gravitate and move away from songs quite quickly with the album. It doesn’t feel like a chore to listen to, which I think is a great strength of the album. A con and issue I had with the album is I miss the complications of Wolf Alice’s sound. The production is not lazy, but there’s nothing too new or crazy going on here. They settled on a sound and didn’t make any drastic changes or innovations.
Whilst it’s good to not reinvent the wheel, but it wouldn’t have hurt to give it new rims. “Play It Out” for instance is more what I would expect from the band. It starts off as this ballad but kind of falls back into old habits where Ellie’s vocals come in layers adding this size and lushness that is so addicting to listen to. The production following along where you get this sense that the band just want to break out into this hard rock sound, but never do.
Prog rock with your tea?
“Bread Butter Tea Sugar” is an interesting one. There isn’t too much of a catchy chorus here like on some other songs, but there’s a great bridge that has this slapstick rhythm guitar that functions so well with Ellie’s vocals. Overall the song is only okay, but it had a great moment of shine I thought was worth mentioning. I wish the album had a bit more than that, but there’s is already quite a bit here to work with.
“White Horses” is something I can see myself coming back to quite a bit. The acoustic guitar really brings something to the track where this almost prog rock aesthetic to it. When Joel Amy’s vocals come in it reminds me of something I’d expect to hear from RUSH or even the Gorillaz. Ellie’s vocals are again great here. She really ties together all individual components of a song to create this strong and focused sound.
Crashing out on the Sofa
We then come to the album’s closer, “The Sofa” which was actually another one of the singles leading up to the album. A great closer for the album. The songwriting here is one some of the best on the album, specifically the chorus. When the single initially came out I found myself singing the hook to myself constantly. Aesthetically, there’s some basic instrumentals that is marked by some keys between the end of the chorus and the next verse. There’s this acceptance and tiredness in the song that brings this relatable sort of sense to it all. The final chorus being this great and grand build up that features some beautiful and larger than life strings that Ellie brings to even higher highs with her vocals.
Overall
To reiterate, The Clearing is not a difficult listen. You don’t need to be in a specific mood, or place or time or anything to get into it. It has this great “oh just put it on” energy to it that I think some people would take as “oh it’s great background music”, when really I think it’s just a nice album to put on for everybody. Wolf Alice’s personality isn’t dampened by their change in sound. It’s here still and can be found throughout the duration of the album. It is definitely toned down however. I do hope their next album leans back into their alternative rock roots again like they had on Blue Weekend, but with that said I think the band has rightfully earned the chance to try out something different.
Quality wise, Ellie’s vocals are absolutely brilliant on every song here. The production and instrumentals didn’t really drag down any songs. Not every song was the best thing since sliced bread. Infact there were definitely some lulls, but nothing that would ruin the entire experience. The Clearing is a great marker for what the band is capable outside of their usual sound, and is an overall very pleasant and easy listening experience. I’m sure much like Blue Weekend and My Love Is Cool, I’ll revisit this album for a quite a while to come.
