WOLF ALICE

Visions of a Life

WOLF Alice is up to the challenge: any challenge, anywhere, and any time. While some bands shrink away from the task of living up to a brilliant debut album, Wolf Alice has done the opposite by turning in another absolute beauty. The London alt-rock quartet sound amazing on Visions of a Life. The songs are engrossing and heartfelt and the album is done and dusted in 40-odd minutes (always appreciated!). The album traverses a bunch of rock subgenres and nails each one. Yuk Foo stands out as the most aggressive tune on the album: a short, sharp and shouty punk song that is as thrilling as a slap in the moosh. Heavenward is the freewheeling opener, epic and dizzying with its dense guitar layers. Don’t Delete the Kisses shows off a pop-friendly version of their sound, and it’s a love song to boot. With the echoing vocals, the synthy vibes and the talky way the lyrics are delivered by frontwoman Ellie Rowsell, it’s a winner from top to bottom. This speaking style of vocals has been added to her dreamy, angelic croon and occasional growl. She can deliver a gut punch in a variety of ways. She has the skills. The wistful and groovy guitar-pop of Beautifully Unconditional is one of about half a dozen songs that is easily imaginable as a single. The bridge into the chorus and the way her voice opens up at just the right moment is spine-tingling. Sky Musings is also worth a mention, a song about panic attacks on aeroplanes. Yup, can relate.