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Jun 04, 2021 By Mark Redfern Photography by Jordan Hemingway

Britain’s Wolf Alice have released a new album, Blue Weekend, today via Dirty Hit/RCA. Now that it’s out, you can stream the whole thing below. Also, on Wednesday we posted our new interview with Wolf Alice (read that here) and yesterday we posted our rave 9/10 review of the album (read that here).

Here’s an excerpt from Andy Von Pip’s review of the album for us:

“Whereas in the past [Ellie] Rowsell has hidden her feelings behind metaphors and ambiguity, Blue Weekend sees her penning some of her most direct and personal lyrics to date. And perhaps this has given her a sense of release because vocally throughout the album she soars and produces a stunning performance ranging from dreamy half-spoken internal monologues to towering celestial beauty. On the gorgeous ‘Delicious Things’ she muses on the seductive promise of fame, with tales of unsuitable suitors and blaggers in Hollywood where she ends up bored with the thin veneer of glamour and phoning her mother. ‘How Can I Make It OK?’ is bittersweet dream-pop perfection, as Rowsell tries to salvage a relationship that is going awry, giving herself ‘a moment to change it all’ while she laments ‘how can I make it OK? I just want you to be happy.’ It’s a moment of shimmering beauty on an album that demonstrates how far Wolf Alice has come, and indeed how much more they have to give.”

Read the full review here.

Wolf Alice previously shared a video for Blue Weekend’s first single, “The Last Man on Earth.” “The Last Man on Earth” was #1 on our Songs of the Week list. Then they shared the album’s second single, the bass-heavy “Smile,” via a video for the song. “Smile” was #2 on our Songs of the Week list. Then they performed “Smile” on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where they were also interviewed. The album’s third single was the dreamy and understated “No Hard Feelings,” also shared via a video for the song (and also one of our Songs of the Week). Then they shared one last pre-release single from the album, “How Can I Make It Ok?,” via a video for it.

Blue Weekend is the band’s third album and the follow-up to 2017’s Visions of a Life, which won them the coveted Mercury Prize.

The band’s full line-up is Ellie Rowsell (vocals, guitar), Joff Oddie (guitar, vocals), Theo Ellis (bass), and Joel Amey (drums, vocals). The band stayed in an Airbnb in Somerset, England and worked on some demos in a converted church. Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Björk, Brian Eno, Florence + The Machine) then produced the final album.

Visions of a Life was our Album of the Week, we gave it a rave 9/10 review, and it was also #5 on our Top 100 Albums of 2017 list.

Read our 2017 interview with Wolf Alice on Visions of a Life.

Wolf Alice released their debut album, My Love Is Cool, back in 2015. It made it to #3 on Under the Radar’s Top 100 Albums of 2015 list and landed Rowsell on the cover of our Best of 2015 print issue, in a joint cover with Father John Misty.

Read our Best of 2015 article on Wolf Alice. Also read our earlier 2015 print article on Wolf Alice, as well as our 2015 Pleased to Meet You Spotlight article on Wolf Alice. And read our review of My Love Is Cool here.

Wolf Alice 2021 U.S. Tour Dates:

10/25 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market
10/26 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
10/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
10/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
10/30 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
11/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Grand at The Complex
11/03 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
11/04 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
11/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
11/08 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic
11/09 – Columbus, OH @ Newport
11/11 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
11/12 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11/13 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11/15 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
11/16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
11/18 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
11/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West

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