The Clearing (Wolf Alice album)

Last updated

The Clearing
Wolf Alice - The Clearing.png
Studio album by
Released22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
StudioNo Expectations (Hollywood) [1]
Length40:48
Label
Producer Greg Kurstin
Wolf Alice chronology
Blue Weekend
(2021)
The Clearing
(2025)
Singles from The Clearing
  1. "Bloom Baby Bloom"
    Released: 15 May 2025
  2. "The Sofa"
    Released: 11 July 2025
  3. "White Horses"
    Released: 8 August 2025 [2]

The Clearing is the fourth studio album by English rock band Wolf Alice, released on 22 August 2025 through RCA and Columbia Records. The album follows the band's 2021 album Blue Weekend .

Contents

Background and promotion

Wolf Alice wrote songs for the album in Seven Sisters, London, while recording took place in Los Angeles with American producer Greg Kurstin. [3] The album marks their departure from Dirty Hit, the label under which they released their first three albums, and is set to be released through RCA and Columbia. [4] The band detailed plans for their new album on 15 May 2025. [5] In a statement, The Clearing was described as "a classic pop/rock album", drawing influence from the 1970s while remaining "rooted firmly in the present.". The announcement compared the project to "something close to if Fleetwood Mac wrote an album today in North London". [6] It was further characterised as "both playful and serious, ironic and straight-talking", representing a deliberate step forward for the band that conveys "the freeing feeling of finding a moment of peace and clarity". [7]

To support the album, Wolf Alice is scheduled to tour North America and Europe in September and October 2025. [8]

Singles

"Bloom Baby Bloom" was released as the lead single on 15 May 2025, accompanied by a music video. The song was noted for its experimental approach, blending atmospheric soundscapes with the band's signature indie rock style. Lead singer Ellie Rowsell described it as a "rock song" inspired by Axl Rose but from a woman's perspective. She said she aimed to use her vocals as a "rock instrument" and felt she had reached a point where she no longer needed to prove herself as a musician. [9] The album's second single, closing track "The Sofa", was released on 11 July 2025, alongside a music video. The third single, "White Horses", featuring co-lead vocals by drummer Joel Amey, was released on 8 August 2025, accompanied by a lyric video.

Critical reception

The Clearing reviews
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10 [10]
Metacritic 80/100 [11]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [14]
Paste 7.0/10 [15]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Under the Radar 9/10 [18]

The Clearing received positive reviews from music critics. The album earned a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 15 reported reviews. [11]

In a five-star review for NME , Rhian Daly praised The Clearing for its sonic separation from Blue Weekend, featuring "more layered, nuanced, slower-tempo songs" than the band's 2021 release. For Daly, "the songwriting within them is so strong, they still make just as big an impression" as the "harder, faster side of Wolf Alice's oeuvre". Daly's review concluded by summarising The Clearing as "the kind of album that could only be written after the dust has settled on your twenties and the post-30 clarity sets in" and Wolf Alice themselves as "the kind of band that keep on getting better with every record, and here, they raise the bar on themselves once again". [14] In a similarly glowing review, Sarah Jamieson of DIY labelled the record Wolf Alice's "boldest, most striking record yet". [12]

Writing for Rolling Stone , Jon Dolan highlighted Wolf Alice's "sweep and depth" on The Clearing, describing the album as "steeped in classic seventies and eighties influences yet never feeling like they’re just firing up a playlist of old bangers". Comparing the record to Carole King's Tapestry (1971) and Stevie Nicks's Bella Donna (1981), Dolan cast The Clearing as "a great album about the scary experience of honestly figuring what kind of person you are — and what the world owes you for the hard work you already do". [16] Andy Von Pip, reviewing the album for Under the Radar , named it a "a classic that shows a band confident in their evolution, unafraid to shed what no longer fits, and stepping forward with renewed purpose". [18]

In a more critical review, Miranda Wollen of Paste opined that "Wolf Alice isn’t sure where they're heading, but they’re not stopping any time soon" on The Clearing. She derogated the album's second half as a "half-willed descent into the depths of commercialized pop-rock", but concluded that "even at its nadir, The Clearing is far from grating", praising the band's "vivid, emotive imagery" across the tracklist. [15] Lewie Parkinson-Jones, writing for Slant Magazine , similarly stated that after the first few tracks, "The Clearing settles into a procession of mostly mellow songs built around acoustic guitars that nudge the album toward monotony". [17]

Commercial performance

The Clearing debuted atop the UK Albums Chart on 29 August 2025, earning Wolf Alice their second consecutive number-one album and fourth consecutive top-three album. It simultaneously arrived at the summit of the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. [19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ellie Rowsell, Joel Amey, Jonathan Oddie, and Theo Ellis; "Thorns", "Just Two Girls", and "The Sofa" written with Greg Kurstin.

The Clearing track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Thorns"3:14
2."Bloom Baby Bloom"3:47
3."Just Two Girls"3:49
4."Leaning Against the Wall"4:11
5."Passenger Seat"2:52
6."Play It Out"4:11
7."Bread Butter Tea Sugar"3:28
8."Safe in the World"3:31
9."Midnight Song"2:50
10."White Horses"4:29
11."The Sofa"4:26
Total length:40:48

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [1]

Wolf Alice

Additional contributors

Charts

Chart performance for The Clearing
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [20] 14
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [21] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [23] 114
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [24] 16
French Albums (SNEP) [25] 109
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) [26] 7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [27] 10
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) [28] 40
Irish Albums (OCC) [29] 8
Italian Albums (FIMI) [30] 23
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [31] 31
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [32] 95
Scottish Albums (OCC) [33] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [34] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [35] 17
UK Albums (OCC) [36] 1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [37] 14

References

  1. 1 2 The Clearing (Media notes). Wolf Alice. RCA Records, Columbia Records. 22 August 2025.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. "Wolf Alice release new single "White Horses"". Metal Planet Music. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  3. Jones, Ethan (15 May 2025). "Wolf Alice Announce New Album The Clearing, Share Video for New Song "Bloom Baby Bloom"". Pitchfork . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  4. Williams, Sophie (15 May 2025). "Wolf Alice announce new album The Clearing and share new single 'Bloom Baby Bloom'". Billboard . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  5. Kelly, Tyler Damara (16 May 2025). "Wolf Alice detail fourth studio album The Clearing". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  6. Ragusa, Paolo (15 May 2025). "Wolf Alice Announce New Album The Clearing, Reveal New Song 'Bloom Baby Bloom': Stream". Consequence . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  7. Trendell, Andrew (15 May 2025). "Wolf Alice share 'Bloom Baby Bloom' video and details of new album 'The Clearing'". NME . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  8. Grow, Kory (16 May 2025). "Wolf Alice Announce Tour for New Album The Clearing". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  9. Hatfield, Amanda (15 May 2025). "Wolf Alice Share Video for New Song "Bloom Baby Bloom"". Alternative Press . Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  10. "The Clearing by Wolf Alice Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  11. 1 2 "The Clearing by Wolf Alice Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  12. 1 2 Jamieson, Sarah (22 August 2025). "Wolf Alice - The Clearing Review". DIY. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  13. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (23 August 2025). "Wolf Alice tame their feral sound on The Clearing — album review". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  14. 1 2 Daly, Rhian (20 August 2025). "Wolf Alice – 'The Clearing' review: finding peace in a confident new chapter". NME. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  15. 1 2 Wollen, Miranda (25 August 2025). "On The Clearing, Wolf Alice Are Transient and Transitional". Paste. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  16. 1 2 Dolan, Jon (20 August 2025). "Wolf Alice Hit an Adult-Rock Peak on 'The Clearing'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  17. 1 2 Parkinson-Jones, Lewie (21 August 2025). "Wolf Alice 'The Clearing' Review: Sun-Kissed Self-Reflection". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  18. 1 2 Von Pip, Alice (22 August 2025). "Wolf Alice: The Clearing (RCA) - Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  19. Persad, Max (29 August 2025). "Step aside, the pack's returned! Wolf Alice strut their way straight to Number 1 with The Clearing". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  20. "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  21. "Longplay Charts vom 29. August 2025". Ö3 Austria Top 40 . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Wolf Alice – The Clearing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  23. "Ultratop.be – Wolf Alice – The Clearing" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Wolf Alice – The Clearing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  25. "Top Albums (Semaine du 29 Aout 2025)". SNEP . Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  26. "Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums de la semaine 35, 2025" [Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums of Week 35, 2025] (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique . Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  27. "Offiziellecharts.de – Wolf Alice – The Clearing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  28. "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2025. 35. hét". MAHASZ . Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  29. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  30. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 35 (dal 22.08.2025 al 28.08.2025)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  31. "Official Top 40 Albums". Recorded Music NZ. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  32. "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 35 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 2. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  33. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  34. "Veckolista Album, vecka 35, 2025" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  35. "Swisscharts.com – Wolf Alice – The Clearing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  36. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  37. "Wolf Alice Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 September 2025.