Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool (ALBUM REVIEW)

Imagine the coolest band name playing the coolest music, the North London indie rock four-piece Wolf Alice would be the perfect match for it. They have an underrated reputation within the tired indie genre because they inject some vigorous yet dreamy grunge-punk sound into their songs, which can be heavily influenced by 90s grunge bands like The Pixies, The Smashing Pumpkins, Failure, Beck and Sonic Youth. We’ve seen the aggression within their back catalogue; Moaning Lisa Smile from the Creature Songs EP, She from the Blush EP. Frontwoman Ellie Roswell’s soothing vocals really add layers to its fast beating drums and crunchy rhythm guitars; it is unusual and exuberant at the same time. So they finally released their long-awaited debut album My Love Is Cool and it is a very impressive start to their future career.

They start off very calming with the breezy opener Turn to Dust, not really what I expect from them, which made expect the unexpected of what’s to come. Then the fan favourite Bros still brings that delicious alt-pop sound, nothing really added new. Your Loves Whore brings out The Smashing Pumpkins sound after a drum beat and calming riff that similarise some Beck tracks. Then we hear thrash guitar and Roswell’s unpredictable screechy outbursts within You’re A Germ, they change the pace constantly. Lisbon presents a Yeah Yeah Yeahs-vibe with its drums and guitar eruptions and calm vocals with some summer atmosphere. Silk acts as an interlude with its Metric-like synths, and Roswell giving out some Lana Del Rey and Karen O feeling. We then hear a mixture of sounds within the next few tracks; the Stone Roses-glossy and funky Freazy, the bursting grunge track Giant Peach, the Pixies-influenced mysterious Swallowtail, and the Primal Scream- inspired shoegazing comforter Soapy Water, it has so many influenced moments that are very diverse, yet not really imitated. The re-worked track Fluffy seems like the only original track that actually represents their innovative sound. It’s more upbeat than the old version and Roswell’s tantrum rollercoaster and aggressive guitar mix very well together. The closing track The Wonderwhy is very melancholic which really highlights Roswell’s lyrical sensibility, which was also shown within Bros, which talked about her deep childhood friendship, and You’re A Germ which tackled sexual exploitation from personal perspectives. It’s not an anthemic album, its jazzful pace of aggression and soothing atmosphere making it such a sophisticated and interesting album.

Overall: There’s no denying that this is a well-crafted first effort and Roswell’s lyrics does put some depth into its 90s grunge heavily-influenced tracks, today’s generation will find the album fresh and exuberant, while fans of 90s alternative music will find it nostalgic. My Love Is Cool’s imaginative spirit, sophistication and unpredictable sound really shows promise for Wolf Alice.

Check Out: Fluffy, You're A Germ, Giant Peach

8/10

My Love Is Cool will be out June 22nd