Wolf Alice
The Clearing
RCA
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The cover artwork for Wolf Alice’s fourth studio album—their first LP commissioned by major-label RCA Records following the band’s recent departure from the Dirty Hit imprint—is fitting. Lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell does indeed command and deserve the spotlight cast upon her, for her voice is a bona fide force of nature—arguably one of the most versatile and powerful voices in contemporary music, arguably never more so than here on The Clearing.
But just as potent and seductive as Rowsell’s voice are the sweeping, spine-tingling soundscapes that she and her bandmates Joel Amey (drums), Theo Ellis (bass) and Joff Oddie (guitar) conjure together. The London-bred foursome’s musical ambition and symbiosis coming to full, fantastic fruition across the expanse of The Clearing should come as no great surprise to anyone who has been fortunate enough to indulge their senses within its three precursors: My Love Is Cool (2015), Visions of a Life (2017) and Blue Weekend (2021). Offering further testament to the group’s musical might and artistic integrity, all three of their previous albums have been rightfully shortlisted for the UK’s Mercury Prize, with Visions of a Life netting the award back in 2018.
Expertly orchestrated by pop producer extraordinaire Greg Kurstin (Adele, Foo Fighters, Maren Morris), The Clearing evinces a band clearly in control of their distinctive sound, replete with the contrasting textures and varied hues contained therein. Their commitment to experimenting with their art and expanding their songcraft beyond the tried-and-true is most notably evidenced in the jaunty, shapeshifting lead single “Bloom Baby Bloom,” which sounds like nothing else in their repertoire to date.
“You’re always trying to challenge yourself to keep it fresh,” Rowsell explains to Rolling Stone UK. “So, with age and time and experience you just grow in confidence. I used to think it would be embarrassing if something wasn’t good, where now I’m like, ‘Oh, well, I won’t let feeling embarrassed stop me from growing.’”
Indeed, Rowsell and her bandmates’ shared self-assuredness shines through The Clearing’s eleven songs, beginning with album-opener “Thorns,” a lilting, piano-led composition that finds Rowsell contemplating her motivations for writing songs about very private matters for public consumption. With vocal dexterity reminiscent of the late Olivia Newton-John, Rowsell confides, “I must be a narcissist / God knows that I can't resist / To make a song and dance about it / Maybe I'm a masochist / Don't know why I must persist / To make a song and dance about it.”
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The plaintive “Play It Out” is a similarly candid moment, with Rowsell reflecting upon growing older and embracing her decision to lead a child-less life, whilst prioritizing her own happiness over the expectations and societal conventions that others might impose upon her.
Additional standouts surface in “Just Two Girls,” an ode to the friendship between “two girls at the bar” that unfolds atop a warm, ‘70s soft rock melody, the synth-laden Americana of “Leaning Against the Wall,” a wistful account of yearning for the object of one’s affection, and the shimmering jangle-pop of “Passenger Seat.”
“Bread Butter Tea Sugar” is a rollicking, effervescent power-pop homage to indulgence, with Amey’s prominent percussion guiding the multitude of musical directions gloriously packed within the track’s three-and-a-half minute duration. Amey later assumes lead vocal duties on “White Horses,” in which he explores—and rejects—traditional assumptions about what constitutes family.
The Clearing concludes with the captivating climax of “The Sofa,” a beautifully rendered anthem of self-agency encapsulated in the pre-chorus & chorus, with Rowsell singing, “Maybe that's fine, I'll be okay / I feel kind of lucky right now and I'm not ashamed to say / I can be happy, I can be sad / I can be a bitch when I am mad / I wanna settle down, oh, to fall in love / But, sometimes, I just want to fuck / I love my life, I love my life.” The sublime, swelling strings that materialize in the song’s final minute inject a cinematic weight and symphonic grandeur to the whole affair. Not only the supreme highlight of this album, “The Sofa” is one of the greatest tunes Wolf Alice have ever crafted, and it’s sure to endure as a pinnacle of their still-evolving recorded repertoire.
Getting older entails the constant reassessment and prioritization of what’s most important to ensuring a life well lived. Now embarking upon their thirties, a full decade removed from their auspicious formal introduction as a band with My Love Is Cool, the members of Wolf Alice appear more comfortable than ever with their shared identity as a band, with The Clearing serving as a blueprint for how to mature gracefully and purposefully.
Notable Tracks: “Bread Butter Tea Sugar” | “Passenger Seat” | “The Sofa” | “White Horses”
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