After nearly four years of radio silence, it was easy for fans of Wolf Alice to start to fear the worst. Maybe every now and again there would be a tweet that would spark a little hope but it would inevitably be followed by another couple more months of no news at all. Then all of a sudden seemingly out of the blue The Last Man on Earth was being teased for release on the 24th. Fan speculation exploded again, with guesses ranging from a single to an album or maybe even a film and finally we got our answer. It was the leading single off their upcoming third album Blue Weekend.
The single itself is one of the most beautiful Wolf Alice have ever put out, with the first minute featuring a lone piano and Ellie’s vocals at their best, ranging from heart-breaking whispers to hope filled bellows. This is the most stripped back Wolf Alice have ever presented themselves, but slowly the song grows into a stunning cacophonous explosion that only they can do so well.
Also, the lyrics are some of the best we’ve seen from the band here. Its easy, after over a year since COVID, to read into the lyrics of any song released now and think “ohhh yeah, that’s about being isolated and alone” and with a title like The Last Man on Earth it’s even easier to jump that gun before hearing a second of the song, but instead of a ‘Ballad of me during lockdown’ it’s probably the most beautiful way anyone has ever said “fuck you, you selfish cunt” with lines like ‘A penny for your thoughts, well I’ll hedge my bets on wealth, cos it’s lies after lies after lies, but do you even fool yourself?‘ cutting like a razor. It’s easy to miss these lyrics on your first couple of listens though, with the melodies and massive instrumentation sucking you in so much you just get whipped up in the feel of the song.
Wolf Alice have always had two sides to them, a measured, beautiful Silk, Don’t Delete the Kisses Dr Jekyll (with The Last Man on Earth being this at its best) and a grungy, aggressive Yuk Foo, Giant Peach Mr. Hyde. The balance they have always been able to strike between these two is why they are one of the best bands in the world right now, and they have already proven that their Dr Jekyll is the best it’s ever been. All that’s left for the 11th of June to come around so we can hopefully see some Mr. Hyde.
