***ALBUM OF THE MONTH | June 2021***
Wolf Alice
Blue Weekend
Dirty Hit/RCA
Listen Below
Though just six short years have elapsed since Wolf Alice formally emerged by way of their breakthrough debut album My Love Is Cool (2015), it seems as if the London band have been a fixture within the musical landscape for much longer, doesn’t it?
This misperception of the group’s longevity is testament to the immediate and enduring impression the foursome have made upon their ever-growing legion of listeners, owing to the unyielding passion and perfectionism that have governed their songcraft to date. Their sharpened work ethic—both in the studio and on stage—has yielded modest commercial returns but widespread critical plaudits, with My Love Is Cool snagging a Mercury Prize nomination and follow-up Visions Of A Life (2017) taking home the honor.
Affirming the old adage (and Schoolhouse Rock! anthem) that three is indeed a magic number, Blue Weekend is evidence that Ellie Rowsell (vocals, guitar), Joff Oddie (guitars, vocals), Theo Ellis (bass), and Joel Amey (drums, vocals) are inching ever closer to peak form. It’s an advancement facilitated in no small part by their newfound connection with decorated producer Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Florence + The Machine), who has helped the band expand and diversify their sound, as they continue to defy easy genre classification.
Meanwhile, both the vocal range and narrative intimacy with which Rowsell delivers her ruminations are more palpable—and powerful—than ever before across Blue Weekend’s eleven songs. Her voice soars most notably on the sweeping, drama-inducing “Lipstick On The Glass,” as she demonstrates her higher register, achieving an intriguing hybrid tone between “I Feel Love” era Donna Summer and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins acclaim.
Lyrical standouts abound, as initially evidenced by lead single “The Last Man On Earth,” a sparse, piano-driven examination of the trappings of narcissism, which even a cursory scan of our fellow humans’ social media feeds affirms is at an all-time high right now. Marked by a conversational candor and vulnerability, Rowsell’s musings sound at times throughout the song as if she’s whispering them in your ear, and your ear alone.
A solemn breakup song that transforms heartbreak into something hopeful by the song’s climax in the final verse, “No Hard Feelings” features Rowsell astutely reflecting, “The threads that kept us together / Were already wеaring thin / Would we ever havе tied the knot? / Well, how long is a piece of string? / And for everything that ends / Something else must begin / No hard feelings, honey / And we both will take the win.” It’s a rather mature perspective about the impermanence of love and the opportunities for redemption that loss can enable.
Evoking a Bret Easton Ellis novel in its dizzying tale of excess and ennui, “Delicious Things” finds Rowsell attempting to navigate—yet failing to fully embrace—the disorienting hedonism to be found in the city of angels, as she ultimately concedes that “extravagance disguised as elegance is boring / I don't belong here, though it really is quite fun here.”
Released as the album’s second single, the hard-charging swagger of “Smile” unfolds as an empowered mission statement that showcases Rowsell’s rhyme skills as she challenges the misguided ways people perceive her in lines like, “I am what I am and I'm good at it / And you don't like me, well that isn't fucking relevant.”
Additional highlights include the shoegaze-indebted bookends “The Beach” and “The Beach II,” both of which build slowly and methodically toward an enveloping, cascading sonic blast of guitar dissonance in their latter halves. The shapeshifting “Feeling Myself” possesses a similar discordant rush, while “Play The Greatest Hits” is propelled by a youthful, punk-rock energy. “How Can I Make It Ok?” couples Rowsell’s soaring vocals with a lush, airy soundscape that picks up steam with Ellis’ insistent baseline which calls to mind some of Fleetwood Mac’s most memorable, John McVie guided fare.
Competent, confident and captivating, Wolf Alice’s absorbing third LP showcases their penchant and passion for stretching their sound while further solidifying their distinctive musical identity. If there’s any justice in this world, Blue Weekend will be the album that finally convinces audiences outside of the UK—and specifically here, stateside—of their brilliance.
In my review of Blue Weekend’s precursor Visions Of A Life, I suggested that “Wolf Alice is a young band arguably still years away from the peak of their musical powers.” With Blue Weekend, they’ve taken one giant step forward toward achieving this pinnacle and are unequivocally becoming masters of their craft before our eyes and ears.
Notable Tracks: “How Can I Make It Ok?” | “The Last Man On Earth” | “Lipstick On The Glass” | “No Hard Feelings” | “Smile”
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