Album Review: Wolf Alice, The Clearing

Ten years on from the release of their acclaimed debut My Love Is Cool, indie-rockers Wolf Alice prove they’re still as hungry as ever with their fourth LP. Their first release on a major label, The Clearing is a record about being comfortable in your own skin, while owning the decisions you’ve made to navigate life.

Initially inspired by Peter Jackson’s documentary Get Back and drawing on ’70s rock and pop, it’s bursting with big swings, even bigger hooks and a fistful of hits in the making. Wolf Alice’s most focused effort to date, it also boasts some career-best vocals from Ellie Rowsell.

The Blondie-flavoured ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ is a banger, while the spine-tingling, folk-minded ‘Midnight Song’ – with its nod to the Wicker Man soundtrack – also impresses. The buoyant, string-driven ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’, meanwhile, is another tasty offering and future fan favourite.

Overall, a mightily impressive effort.

8/10

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