Sister Ray's Mercury Prize Picks: Eve
I've been following Wolf Alice since I was a teenager, and my relationship with their music has shifted in parallel to their progressing style. From the angsty heavy riffs of their brilliant debut to the often melancholic tone of this latest release, it feels like their music has accompanied many of the major shifts of my life.
It's hard to express what the old tracks mean to me and the people I grew up with. I can't hear 'Bros' without tearing up, thinking of the years I spent as a teenager following Wolf Alice with friends who are now scattered across the country and I barely see. Tracks like 'Don't Delete the Kisses', the lead single from their Mercury winning previous album 'Visions of a Life' and the reaction it receives from fans at shows captures the truly special and profound connection Wolf Alice have with their music and the way that in turn impacts their audience.
This latest album is evidence that despite their massive success, Wolf Alice do not stagnate. Their music has continued to develop and mature as the band members themselves have. Instead of dealing with the angsty teenage issues of their debut, the themes have become more broadly profound, instilled in the stunning single 'Last Man on the Earth'. This album sprawls across topics of heartbreak, friendship and self-reflection and wraps these themes in intricate and fascinating melodies.
Filled with moments of anxiety and anger, melancholy and beauty, Wolf Alice's 'Blue Weekend' is perhaps the perfect contender to capture the ups and downs of the past year, something people working in creative industries such as music, have felt all too much.