REVIEW BY DESH KAPUR
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Wolf Alice were formed in 2010 and after a couple of ins and outs, the line-up we know so well was established; Ellie Rowsell, Joel Amey, Joff Oddie and Theo Ellis.
On 4th June 2021, Wolf Alice released their third album, “Blue Weekend”, hitting the dizzy heights of number 1 in the UK Albums charts.
And now they have dropped Blue Lullaby, which is five re-worked tracks from “Blue Weekend” – ‘No Hard Feelings’, ‘Lipstick On The Glass’, ‘How Can I Make It OK?’, ‘Feeling Myself’ and ‘The Last Man On Earth’.
The EP kicks off with my favourite Wolf Alice track, ‘How Can I Make It OK?’. The gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar starts it off before Ellie Rowsell’s vocals softly come in; delicate, gentle and beguiling. Stripped back drums make an appearance as the song goes deeper and the tender heartbreak of the lyrics shine thorough and resonate with the listener.
‘Lipstick On The Glass’ is up next. Finger-picking guitar sitting underneath Ellie’s vocals, which are so haunting on this track. I don’t know why but this track gave me a real Kate Bush vibe, and when the choir comes in, it is so, so beautiful.
‘No Hard Feelings’ is next and in essence, is a classic break-up up song. Just Ellie’s vocals and a choir, all underpinned by piano and lush layered harmonies that take centre stage.
The self-discovery of ‘Feeling Myself’ is next. The intro reminding me of Fleetwood Mac a la Rumours and that feel really carries on through this track. Lyrical and intimate, ‘Feeling Myself’ is the most drastically different from the album version, almost folky, and the strings offer such depth to it. I loved this track!
The EP comes to an end with the ever-so-brilliant ‘Last Man On Earth’, and to be honest I think you could play this on spoons, and it would sound awesome. But stripped backed and lullabied, it shines so brightly. It’s a piece of genius, with gentle piano, and layers of voices that sit underneath Ellie’s strong but vunerable vocal. It is so utterly beautiful.
“Blue Weekend” was big, bold, brave, mature and intelligent; it strutted with self-confidence. This EP is gentle, fragile and delicate, whilst still being mature and intelligent. Ellis’s voice shines and it works on every level.
“Blue Lullaby” is accompanied by a mini-YouTube series where the band share the making of the EP, to give fans a delightful peek behind the curtain of Wolf Alice’s creative process.
BLUE LULLABY TRACK LIST
Lipstick On The Glass (Lullaby Version)
How Can I Make It OK? (Lullaby Version)
No Hard Feelings (Lullaby Version)
Feeling Myself (Lullaby Version)
The Last Man On Earth (Lullaby Version)
FOLLOW WOLF ALICE
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago and married my childhood sweetheart and life is good.
