Wolf Alice’s new single The Last Man on Earth was released alongside the announcement of their third full-length record, ‘Blue Weekend’. The song is their first release since 2017.
It can be considered typical of Wolf Alice’s sound, but it is also entirely unique from the rest of their discography. The larger-than-life track can be split into three sections: the first section is an intimate slow-paced ballad with soft, almost whispered vocals. These vocals as well as the instrumental then become increasingly more layered, building up to the anthemic middle section, before culminating in an orchestral and mesmerizing waltz for the final minute of the track.
Lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell penned the track inspired by the arrogance of humans after reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, particularly the line “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God”, which can be linked to the lyric “Do you wait for your dancing lessons to be sent from God?”
“The song-writing is mind-blowingly clever”
The song-writing is mind-blowingly clever, as is to be expected of Wolf Alice. The song is an assessment of the nature of humans to inject importance into books and songs, based on the events occurring in our own lives. We are unable to objectively view art, without considering whether it makes our emotions feel seen due to our egotistical, arrogant and self-indulgent nature.
Alongside the rise of Tik Tok, a lot of hit songs only provide a short fifteen-second adrenaline rush. However, it is refreshing to hear a track which provides much more – a 4-minute journey which one can get truly emotionally invested in.
“It is hauntingly beautiful in its subtlety, yet simultaneously anthemic”
The track isn’t loud or showy; instead, it is hauntingly beautiful in its subtlety, yet simultaneously anthemic. Three albums into their career, Wolf Alice continue to prove that they are one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the British music scene.
Gemma Cockrell
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Gemma Cockrell
Hi, I'm Gemma, I'm 20 and I'm currently a student in Nottingham. I write mostly about music, but you can also catch me talking about motorsport and occasionally TV and film.