There are bands, and then there’s Wolf Alice.
Sorry if you find that a touch dismissive of your other faves, but it’s not intended that way. You get one band in every generation that has something sort of magical about them. If there’s any doubt, that’s the special sparkle the London four-piece have – stardust that takes them beyond mere notes and sounds, and into a magical kingdom of their own.
Later today (12th June), they’re set to drop ‘Yuk Foo’ – the first track from their second album. Spoiler alert, but we’re absolutely buzzing already. Come 7pm, we’re likely to pop. And here’s why.
My Love Is Cool Is Cool
Debut albums don’t come better than ‘My Love Is Cool’. Fact. While some are wall to wall bangers, it takes something beyond an ear for a tune to craft something that arrives so fully formed it’s already way beyond the sum of its parts.
That’s the first piece of the Wolf Alice puzzle. Only the most iconic of bands deliver debuts that feel like they’re already steeped in their own lexicon. From the opening, sweeping vistas of ‘Turn To Dust’, into the peerless ‘Bros’ – doubtless one of the very best songs of the last decade – there’s the tingle of something from the ether about ‘My Love Is Cool’. A land between the waking world and a fantasy kingdom, there’s the feeling that, just beyond what the eye can see, something strange and bewitching is taking hold.
That they then take that beauty and puncture it with moments of genuine passion – ‘Giant Peach’ and ‘Fluffy’ especially – only drives the dial up further. Be it a velvet gloved iron fist, or a thumping blow delivered with care and consideration, there’s a quiet / loud dynamic to Wolf Alice that would send other bands spinning. For them, it’s effortless.
Make a scene
Not only is their debut remarkable, but it’s proved a catalyst too. Alongside The 1975, Wolf Alice stand out as a band who exist beyond their time. While their label mates and peers feel more separate from the pack, however – winding their vibey pop magic in their own, unmatched universe – Wolf Alice couldn’t feel more connected.
Intertwined with so many of their peers, they’ve long felt like a band leading a charge. Even those who came before have ended up falling in line with their charge. But what’s most remarkable is the hole they’ve blown through for others to follow. Right now, we’re surrounded by exciting, amazing, new British indie bands, queuing up to make their impact on one of the most exciting festival seasons in recent memory. Every single one of them owes something to the impact of Wolf Alice. They’ve shown them how it’s done, and they’re following them through en mass.
Down with boring
Boring bands, you can tell a mile off. You’ll only be able to tell the name of their frontperson. That’ll be it. And that might just be a case of “y’know, blokey from what’s-their-name?” That’s not something you could ever accuse of Wolf Alice.
Sure, they’re not individually household names (yet), but give them even the shortest of chances and their personality shines through. Like all the best bands, they’re an organic machine with individual parts. Each brings something different that, when mixed together, exists in more than two dimensions. It’s special chemistry that can’t be recreated in a lab.
If they can do this in a day…
The last new material we heard from Wolf Alice was ‘Ghoster’, a track recorded for the soundtrack to last year’s Ghostbusters film. Snotty, vampy, trashy and glorious, it dripped with confidence. Somewhere between 90s names like Lush and Shampoo, it felt every inch a band who knew they had nothing left to fear.
And yet, for all that chutzpah, the band revealed it was put together off the cuff in the studio. A true marker of where they were at, it’s the flippant brilliance of a band at the very height of their game. Imagine what they’ll have made with an album they’ve spent blood, sweat and tears crafting. Exactly.
Wish you were here
As if all of that wasn’t enough, our heroes have been teasing. Over the last few weeks, they’ve mailed out a bunch of postcards to fans. Each has a title, and a message that looks like a lyric. There are twelve in total, including ‘Yuk Foo’. Sounds awfully like a full album’s worth, right? You can check them all out here. Hyped yet? Thought so.
Wolf Alice’s new single ‘Yuk Foo’ gets a first spin on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show tonight (12th June). Check back here later for more.