By It’s finally here, months of waiting since the announcement we’ve been blessed by finally having Wolf Alice’s second album released. However, does it live up to the standard set by Wolf Alice?
For those who live under rocks, or maybe Cornwall where I assume the internet doesn’t exist, Wolf Alice are an incredible indie four piece from London. At the forefront of the indie scene, Wolf Alice released two killer EP’s and are known for their sweaty, mental shows. This landed them not only incredible festival slots but an ever growing fanbase and a definite revival of glitter. They went on to release their debut album ‘My Love is Cool’ one of the best albums of that year. ‘Silk’ from that album was even used in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting 2.
Then they disappeared for a while. Touring had finished and they all spend time in various countries, mostly so in America. This was where the second album was born. ‘Visions of a Life’ was written and recorded over in America and honestly, there’s not much you could ask for from a sophomore album.
Opening with the dreamy anthem ‘Heavenward’, ‘Visions of a Life’ is already off to an incredible start. The first four tracks were all released as singles and promised massive things. The bombastic and all-out aggression from Yuk Foo, to ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ which hits hard emotionally. Moving to the middle we have the mystery songs sent out on the postcard campaign. These are all moving forward with Wolf Alice’s more airy and shoegazey sound to their work.
With such an incredible opener, the middle originally fell a little flat, but certainly grew on me. I can understand the criticism I’ve so far seen of the album. At times the lyrics felt slightly weaker or it was different but then it dawned on me that actually, the band was changing. The sound is changing, and it is in no way a bad thing.
They end on my favourite track on the album, of the same name ‘Visions of a Life’. It’s this long, drawn out, almost messy, massive sounding culmination of the album coming to an end and I loved it. Two years work and countless gigs later Wolf Alice released something truly spectacular.
For those who like their more experimental and pedal based work, such as the mid-album work of ‘My Love is Cool’, you’re going to love this album. If you’re not a fan yet, give it time. This is already one of the best albums of the year so far.
