London’s Wolf Alice break their hiatus with “Bloom Baby Bloom,” an evolution in sound, style and attitude to mark a fresh new era for the band as they look ahead to their fourth album, ‘The Clearing.’
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Stream: “Bloom Baby Bloom” – Wolf Alice
It’s been a four year wait for new music from Wolf Alice.
One of north London’s best exports in recent years, the band are known for well-crafted alternative rock tunes and a big, energetic live show. They have made their welcome return with “Bloom Baby Bloom,” the first single from their upcoming album The Clearing (out August 29th via RCA Records). A bombastic, high-concept pop tune, “Bloom Baby Bloom” represents the beginning of a new era for Wolf Alice, as they aim to progress their style and build on their already impressive set of releases.
“Bloom Baby Bloom” is an exhortation – from singer Ellie Rowsell to herself and the rest of the band. It’s an instruction to move into the next stage by embracing the creativity and talent within themselves. The latent ability is now coming to the fore, and Wolf Alice are stepping back out into the world with the confidence they’ve always had – but now the rock ‘n roll swagger has a theatrical slant to it. From the maddeningly catchy piano line that opens the song, the band builds swiftly into multiple sections, which back Rowsell’s headline-grabbing vocal take. It’s unapologetic, alive and swimming with the verve and sass of this new, bold attitude from the band. It’s time to sit up and take notice.
But I’ll bloom, baby, bloom
Watch me, yeah, you’ll see just what I’m worth
Yes, I’m blue, baby, blue
Every flowеr needs to neighbor with the dirt
Not that the old Wolf Alice wasn’t something to shout about. They were Mercury Prize-winning, Top 5 album charting, world-touring rock stars before this. Their last album in particular – 2021’s Blue Weekend – was a legitimate triumph, a strong collection of tunes which blended the band’s lust for heaviness with Rowsell’s emotionally honest songwriting. “Bloom Baby Bloom” therefore should not be seen as a rejection of their past selves – more a progression on what they’d already built.
That last record was also about evolution. Blue Weekend charted a path through some common issues when traversing your 20s. There’s some pretty raw stuff in there – about breakups, growing apart from friends, the hedonism of constant touring – it was all very relatable, and it was this honest vulnerability which caught me straight away upon listening. “Bloom Baby Bloom” is the same thing, but from a completely different angle. This time it’s about growth, self-confidence, and being strong enough to bounce unwarranted criticism back without a second thought. It’s about using the issues life throws at you as a learning experience, rather than something to be depressed about.
And if you knew mе
You’d know that it would hurt
Feel like I won’t flower in spoiled earth
Rowsell has said that she wanted to explore the performance side of rock music with this song, but from a female perspective.
“I wanted a rock song, to focus on the performance element of a rock song and sing like Axl Rose, but to be singing a song about being a woman,” Ellie Rowsell shares. There was a tendency to “hide behind the guitar” in the past, Rowsell being keen to avoid the girl-singer stereotype. And that’s certainly understandable, as it would be easy to become just another female-fronted band.
“I’ve used the guitar as a shield in the past,” she adds, “but I wanted to focus on my voice as a rock instrument, so it’s been freeing to put the guitar down and reach a point where I don’t feel like I need to prove that I’m a musician.”
Her vocal talents enable Rowsell to pitch herself above the noise, making her achieve the status of genuine rock frontwoman on “Bloom Baby Bloom.” I’m sure she’ll still be grinding out the riffs on stage this summer, but there’ll also be time for her to fully realise her capabilities as someone who can hold thousands of people in the palm of her hand with just a microphone.
It’s hard to overstate just how well this song allows Rowsell to shine.
From the intense energy of the verses to the soaring relief in the chorus, each new section brings its own brand of focus for the vocal take to achieve the full potential it richly deserves. This is Wolf Alice at their very best, and will leave longtime fans and new listeners alike rapt with a sense of pure affirmation. This song clutches you to its chest and tells you to bury those negative vibes and just be your own, brilliant self.
Look at me trying to play it hard
My despair masked by a flawed facade
Look at me trying to play it hard
I’m so sick and tired of trying to play it hard
With lyrics like “Do I have to make you sit on your hands? F*ing baby, baby man” and “Every flower needs to grow up by the weeds,” it might be easy to see this as an arrogant piece, but that’d be missing the point. Rowsell is addressing her detractors with these words, telling them she’s tired of hiding and they’ll see her full power soon enough. And with the effortless, premium quality of this song, it’s hard to argue against her.
Wolf Alice were always going to come back with something big after so long on the sidelines, but “Bloom Baby Bloom” exceeds any reasonable expectations – this is a fierce and fantastic return from one of the best rock bands out there.
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:: stream/purchase Bloom Baby Bloom here ::
:: pre-order The Clearing here ::
:: connect with Wolf Alice here ::
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Stream: “Bloom Baby Bloom” – Wolf Alice
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© Rachel Fleminger Hudson
© Rachel Fleminger Hudson
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