Wolf Alice is back. On Wednesday (February 24), the English rockers announced their third album, Blue Weekend, and shared its orchestral lead single, "Last Man On Earth."
âItâs about the arrogance of humans,â singer Ellie Rowsell said in a statement about the song's lyrics. âIâd just read Kurt Vonnegutâs Catâs Cradle and I had written the line âPeculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from godâ in my notes. But then I thought: âUh, your peculiar travel suggestion isnât a dancing lesson from god, itâs just a travel suggestion! Why does everything need to mean something more?ââ
Blue Weekend is the follow-up to Wolf Alice's Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize-winning sophomore album Visions of a Life. After that whirlwind album cycle, the band retreated to an Airbnb in Somerset, UK to âreconfigure who they were togetherâ and recorded demos in a converted church. The album was produced by Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Björk, Brian Eno, Florence + The Machine) and sees the group exploring new sonic territory.
âThis album is for other people,â Rowsell explained. âSometimes you hear a song and it makes you feel better, or you hear a song and it makes you feel seen. I remember feeling blue about something, and thinking, âI wonder what songs I can listen to that will be about what Iâm feeling right now.ââ
âIt was almost as if I was desperate to feel better about something, and I would go down any path to feel not alone in something, or to understand it more," she continued. "And Iâve never really done that before intentionally, Iâd never really sought it out.â
Blue Weekend is slated for a June 11 release and can be pre-ordered here. Listen to "Last Man On Earth" above.
Photo: Jordan Hemingway