In the world of music, Wolf Alice are unparalleled.
Since the 2013 release of Blush, their debut EP, it’s been clear to see that the London band are something truly special. 2015’s My Love is Cool and 2017’s Visions of a Life further established them as a force to be reckoned with in the indie-rock scene of Britain and beyond, while third album Blue Weekend made its claim to the pole position of their best yet.
Now returning four years later with The Clearing, there’s no sign of Wolf Alice slowing down: The music may be more subtle at times than on tracks from their discography, such as ‘Yuk Foo’ or ‘Play the Greatest Hits’, but everything else is heightened, from vocals and emotion, to imagery and world-building.
“Did it help to take the thorn out?”, frontwoman Ellie Rowsell asks as the album opens with ‘Thorns’, a track accompanied by the first hint of the ABBA-esque string-backed instrumentals that recur throughout The Clearing. The song is easily one of the most fitting album openers in recent years, building to a passionate crescendo at its end.
First single, ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’, follows, bringing operatic vocals, jaunty piano, and catchy handclaps, developing its themes of growth and empowerment while blurring the lines of genre as it theatrically progresses.
‘Just Two Girls’ revels in the beauty, enjoyment, and indecisiveness of youth and friendship, providing an early highlight within The Clearing’s tracklist. The lyric “Here’s the stage, you’re the star, just two girls” sees Rowsell briefly recognising the need to balance a life of stardom and performance with her personal relationships.
‘Leaning Against the Wall’ is a delicate ode to a lover that manages to balance thoughtful questioning with an impressive display of storytelling power, and its softness is reflected by an instrumental based mainly around the acoustic guitar riff that runs throughout. “It really, really made the room sing, the way you said my name”, Rowsell affirms as the song begins, before it comes to an end with a ten-second portion of chopped-up choral vocals.
This romantic theme continues into ‘Passenger Seat’, as Rowsell admits “the song that’s playing now will always remind me of you”, initiating a contemplative tale of a car journey with a lover. ‘Passenger Seat’, however, offers a more balanced and confessional side to the love described in ‘Leaning Against the Wall’. This becomes clear through the lyric “Driving me crazy as you’re driving me home, looks like I only write love songs once you’ve left me alone”.
A softer cut arrives in the form of ‘Play It Out’, which begins with Rowsell’s vocals standing alongside a gentle piece of piano. It’s pensive, vulnerable and nothing short of beautiful – just what fans have come to expect from a slower Wolf Alice song. “Just let me play it out”, Rowsell begs in the track’s chorus, before drummer Joel Amey provides soft percussion and the track reaches what can only be called a moment of desperation. It fades out gently, and is followed by the swinging ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’.
“If it’s bad for me, good, I feel bad suits me better”, Rowsell proclaims to the backdrop of instruments that mirror the lyrical content’s debauchery. The song seems to be a less brooding companion piece to Blue Weekend’s ‘Feeling Myself’, delighting in love and lust in a lighter manner. ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ features strings and piano that reach an impressive, invigorating glissando towards its end, before ‘Safe in the World’ witnesses a change to the past tense, building as Rowsell comes to understand that there’s “no language for my love”.
Opening with notes that call back to the beginning of ‘Planet Hunter’, a highlight from Visions of a Life, ‘Midnight Song’ provides a sense of the ethereality that characterises a significant portion of Wolf Alice’s earlier music. The track would be the perfect soundtrack for a séance, soaring with strings and creating a gloomy atmosphere that manages to retain the beauty of what came before it. “Go on, go on, go on, count to three”, Rowsell urges, inviting the listener to engage in her ritual of sound.
After such a powerful demonstration of vocal agility and ability, it’s no surprise that Joel Amey’s control of the microphone on ‘White Horses’ fails to come as a welcome break. For any other artist, this song would be a career highlight, and even for a band of Wolf Alice’s calibre it’s hardly a misstep. Though infectiously catchy thanks to Joff Oddie’s guitar riff, it’s undeniable that the track only reaches its height once Rowsell comes back in at its chorus.
‘The Sofa’ closes The Clearing with a gorgeous flourish of violin as Rowsell displays vocals reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, or Anni and Agnetha of ABBA. The song perfectly complements the seventies aesthetic adopted for this era of Wolf Alice, complete with tinkling piano and slow percussion. It’s a track characterised by mixed feelings, with Rowsell vulnerably admitting “I wanna settle down, I wanna fall in love” before undercutting herself almost instantly with a declaration that “sometimes I just want to fuck”. The lyric “I’ll be fine, I’ll be okay” is delivered in a way that makes it seem as if Rowsell is trying to convince herself that the statement is true, and it is this that has the power to stir the listener’s emotions before leaving them to reflect as the song ends and the album comes to a close.
As always with Wolf Alice, Ellie Rowsell’s powerful lyricism and arresting vocal performance remains at the centre throughout The Clearing, but that isn’t to say that the other three members of the band don’t shine too. The album is imbued with seventies-inspired instrumentals that evade the confines of genre and mood, resulting in a record that proves its creators are ever-expansive. It only takes a few listens to realise that The Clearing is a contender for 2025’s album of the year, cementing Wolf Alice as the best band Britain has right now.
Listen to the album here.
