Recommended tracks: “The Sofa,” “Play It Out,” “Passenger Seat”
Artists you may like: CMAT, Fontaines D.C., The Last Dinner Party
Four years after the release of their critically acclaimed album, Blue Weekend, Wolf Alice is back and better than ever with their fourth studio album, The Clearing. It’s another step forward in a career that seems to only ascend, with each album more confident and nuanced than the last.
Wolf Alice has always been a band that refuses to sit still. Across three albums, they’ve built a reputation for unpredictability, shifting from grunge-y chaos to ethereal ballads without missing a beat. Their sound is hard to pin down, and that’s exactly what’s made them so compelling. With their fourth album, The Clearing, they don’t just continue that trend; they elevate it, delivering a record that feels both expansive and sharply focused at the same time.
Opening the record is “Thorns,” a reflective track that feels like a natural continuation of the emotional themes explored on Blue Weekend. It’s a song rooted in vulnerability, unpacking the raw, messy aftermath of a breakup and laying it all out without flinching. The horn-heavy ballad doesn’t just set the tone sonically; it sets the emotional temperature for the rest of the album, letting you know right away that The Clearing isn’t holding anything back.
Following is the album’s lead single, “Bloom Baby Bloom,” a track I’ve loved since the day it dropped. It’s a punch-in-the-face kind of song, bursting with self-confidence, growth, and a sense of finally stepping into your power. “Look at me trying to play it hard / I’m so sick and tired of trying to play it hard / But I’ll bloom, baby, bloom / Watch me, yeah, you’ll see just what I’m worth,” front-woman Ellie Roswell shouts in the chorus. It’s bold, cathartic, and feels like a personal declaration. It’s the kind of anthem that makes you want to scream the lyrics with your whole chest.
“Leaning Against the Wall” and “Passenger Seat” flow together beautifully, almost like two parts of the same emotional journey. Both tracks showcase the band’s signature blend of sharp lyricism and lush, layered production — something Wolf Alice has mastered since their debut. “Leaning Against the Wall” paints a raw and vivid picture of unreciprocated love, capturing that quiet ache of wanting more than you’re given. In contrast, “Passenger Seat” shifts the focus to emotional dependence, exploring the weight of relying too heavily on someone else for a sense of direction or self-worth. Together, they highlight the band’s ability to tackle different sides of intimacy without losing cohesion or impact.
One of my favorite tracks on the record is “Play It Out,” an emotional ballad about resisting the pressure to settle down and taking the time to find the love that truly feels right. It captures that in-between space where you’re learning to be okay with uncertainty while still holding out hope for something real. “When I get there, a place in time where life brings me elsewhere / Will I change my notion of self? / In sickness and good health / I promise to love and cherish myself,” Roswell professes in the second verse. It’s a powerful reflection on choosing self-growth over compromise, without losing sight of love altogether.
The three-track run of “Bread Butter Tea Sugar,” “Safe in the World,” and “Midnight Song” feels like its own little narrative arc, moving from playfulness to healing, and finally, to a sense of liberation. Each song explores a different emotional space, but they’re all tied together by the band’s consistently strong production and their knack for catchy, clever lyricism. “If it’s bad for me, good / I feel bad suits me better,” they sing in the chorus of “Bread Butter Tea Sugar,” perfectly capturing that reckless, self-aware energy that comes with trying to reclaim yourself after pain. It’s a sequence that not only highlights their range but also shows how effortlessly they can move between vulnerability and confidence without losing their voice.
The album’s closer, “The Sofa,” might be one of the best songs the band has ever released. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to it alone — it’s one of those tracks that quietly wraps itself around you. It captures the still, understated beauty of falling in love with your life exactly as it is, not despite the imperfections, but because of them. It’s about coming to terms with the dreams that never happened and learning to let them go without carrying around guilt, shame, or regret. The production is soft and intimate, letting the emotion sit right at the surface without ever feeling heavy-handed. As a closer, it couldn’t be more fitting. It ties the whole album together in a way that almost makes it feel like a concept record.
With The Clearing, Wolf Alice has created something that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. It’s an album about growing up, letting go, holding on, and learning to live in the space between all of that, and they’ve never sounded more sure of themselves while doing it. There’s a quiet confidence running through every track, even in the moments of doubt and vulnerability. It’s not just another great Wolf Alice record; it feels like a turning point, a soft but certain declaration of who they are and where they’re headed. And as a listener, it’s one of those rare albums that doesn’t just meet you where you are; it leaves you a little better than it found you.
