WOLF ALICE // Albums Ranked

CREATURE SONGS EP (2014)

Favourite tracks: ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’, ‘Storms‘

As always, it hurts to stick any album in the “worst” spot, but all rankings have to start somewhere. With a lot of the artists featured in this series so far, the standard is always high, meaning that even their worst output could be considered better than the best of others.

For Wolf Alice, it’s their third EP, Creature Songs. Comprised of four tracks, the EP feels very much like a tale of two halves. It launches straight out of the gates with ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ and ‘Storms’, songs that feature some of their heaviest riffs to date. I personally enjoy ‘Storms’ the most, as it brings an intensity that’s somehow sustained throughout. Kinda like walking on a tight-rope – it’s precarious as fuck, but the thrill makes it fun.

Stacking the front half with these behemoths makes the change into ‘Heavenly Creatures’ quite harsh, as the song strips away the aggression in favour of a more subdued sound. A middle ground of sorts is found on ‘We’re Not the Same’, but the broken cohesiveness doesn’t make me return to it as much.

BLUE WEEKEND (2021)

Favourite tracks: ‘Lipstick on the Glass’, ‘How Can I Make It OK?’, ‘The Last Man On Earth‘

The first album to hit the list is the latest. Blue Weekend features some of the most pristine production heard in years, explores relationships, love and everything in-between to great detail, and presents a level of vulnerability you probably wouldn’t expect from a band that’s three albums in.

‘Delicious Things’ channels this open-heartedness with a wander through the streets of LA. Its humility expressed at “making it” is quite earnest, and quickly introduces us to the main trope of the record – the harmonies. Larger-than-life choruses are heard multiple times, to the point that it might become a little samey if they didn’t sound so good. Wolf Alice do challenge this with different styles, such as the rapid-fire tempo on ‘Play The Greatest Hits’, shoegaze-y instruments on ‘How Can I Make It OK?’ and the piano keys on ‘The Last Man On Earth’, but I think the way it circles around this particular trope keeps the record at a certain level. One that is pretty, and filled with great songs, but none that hit the heights of previous albums.

BLUSH EP (2013)

Favourite tracks: ‘Blush’, ‘She’, ’90 Mile Beach’

The second EP Blush is the first release to feature Theo Ellis and Joel Amey, and brings with it a more rounded sound that expands on the more melodic tones that was heard on the likes of ‘Every Cloud’. Its title track kicks things off, and remains one of the most atmospheric songs in the Wolf Alice discography. Its stark melodies rings through a haze of synthesisers, as drums and harmonies kick in to ramp up the anthemic mood. To have a song as massive as this on your second EP is crazy.

‘She’ follows with nasty bass and scattered guitar tones that throw you deep within the shadows, as Ellie’s vocals ascend above the skyline. It skirts the line of chaotic and measured, and even has a little jump scare in it that still catches me off guard. ‘Nosedive’ has all the jangly qualities and soft harmonies that makes the moodiness bounce, before we’re welcomed into the slow build of ’90 Mile Beach’ – a closing track that highlights how good the band are at creating stadium-filling tunes.

Blush feels like its own world. It begins in the clouds, hits rock bottom in the middle and restarts its climb back to the surface towards the end. It is so cohesive that it flies by, but is bookended by two songs that could appear in any of their records. It’s so good.

MY LOVE IS COOL (2015)

Favourite tracks: ‘Bros’, ‘Frenzy’, ‘Giant Peach’, ‘Fluffy’, ‘The Wonderwhy’

Just missing out on the top spot is debut album, My Love Is Cool. As mentioned above for Blush, this introduction showed how much quality Wolf Alice had from the start, as well as potential. Its sound is fully realised, and is given the freedom to venture into different avenues to show off its versatility. But all conjecture aside, it’s just a straight up great record.

Opening track ‘Turn to Dust’ has the same dusty coat energy heard on new single ‘White Horses’. Building things slowly to welcome us into the room in time for the grooves to do its thing. ‘Bros’ follows with an almost mid-2000s Indie sound that immediately catches the ears, before taking us into the depths for the combo-punches of ‘Your Loves Whore’ and ‘You’re a Germ’.

What makes the record resonate is its edge, which existed on Visions of a Life but was hidden a little too much on Blue Weekend. The drawn out verses of ‘Silk’ have an end-of-the-world quality to them, while ‘Giant Peach’ has a coolness instilled in its driven riffs, and you can’t forget the drum sound on ‘Fluffy’. Paired with its riff, it shows that it’s anything but fluffy, but full of teeth.

VISIONS OF A LIFE (2017)

Favourite tracks: ‘Yuk Foo’, ‘Beautifully Unconventional’, ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’, ‘Formidable Cool’, ‘Space & Time’

Taking the top spot is Visions of a Life. It’s an album that pushes things to the extremes, detailing all of the angst, heartbreak, tension and uncertainty and heartbreak that comes with figuring things out in your 20s. A time where you’re expected to have your shit together, and the rest of your life mapped out, as the window for freedom and creativity starts to shrink. Its a wild time, and I’m glad to be out of it, but it is illustrated wonderfully on this album.

There’s a great blend of twisted and angelic noises throughout. Beginning with the otherworldly choruses of ‘Heavenward’ that isn’t revisited until ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ – one of the greatest love songs of our generation. It’s this song that features everything we love about Wolf Alice, but packaged in a way that appeals to the masses. Ellie’s vocals, as always, are a highlight, and being able to sing along with them tips it over the edge as a proper anthem.

But before that arrives comes ‘Yuk Foo’, a song that distils its anger into two minutes that hit hard, falling into the more approachable ‘Beautifully Unconventional’, which features cool guitars and hooks that sink into the mind. It feels like the sister to ‘Formidable Cool’, which takes the bravado and ramps it up even more. ‘Space & Time’ is a tune that lets go of any inhibition and feels so freeing to listen to.

It’s a fantastic record that nails every aspect it aims for. From the intimate, vulnerable moments to the larger-than-life anthems, everything just hits here. A slight lean into the mainstream provides some of Wolf Alice’s biggest and catchiest songs to date, without compromising on what makes them individual. Lyrically, it sings on many levels, with so many songs housing excellent lyrics that could stick with you for a lifetime.

I think it’s on a tier of its own, and that’s why Visions of a Life takes the crown. That is the albums ranked of Wolf Alice completed! The Clearing is out very soon, and while it might have to fight hard for the top spot, everything we’ve heard from it so far suggests that it’s ready to make the challenge.

What’s your favourite Wolf Alice album? Do you think we got it right with this ranking? Let us know below, or DM your thoughts to us on Instagram.

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