New Delhi, Wolf Alice, the British rock band known for hits like the ethereal “Don’t Delete the Kisses”, the high-energy “Smile, and “The Last Man on Earth”, owes much of its success to the strong chemistry that binds its members together, say bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey.
The duo, who form the backbone of the band’s rhythm section, believe their bond both on and off stage reflects the spirit that unites the group as a whole.
The band has carved a niche with its ability to blend grunge, folk, and pop, earning both critical acclaim and a devoted global fan base.
“I don’t think we consciously work at it. We all have a lot of reverence for what we do, and we know how lucky we are. If the chemistry started to deteriorate, that would probably be the end,” Ellis told PTI in an interview.
Amey echoed with his bandmate and said chemistry is something that they only recently started talking about.
“For us, it feels natural-we just keep making music and playing shows. We don’t have a ‘band therapist’ like Metallica! Over time, our approach will evolve. I look at artists like LCD Soundsystem, who do residencies rather than traditional tours, and think that could be interesting in the future,” he said.
Formed in London in 2010, the band also consists of Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie .
Wolf Alice broke out with their debut ‘My Love Is Cool’ in 2015, earning acclaim for seamlessly moving across genres from grunge-driven anthems like “Bros” to atmospheric ballads such as “Silk”.
Over the years, Wolf Alice has released critically praised albums including “Visions of a Life” and “Blue Weekend” , earning a Mercury Prize and a devoted fan base.
The band now marks a bold new chapter with “The Clearing”, their fourth studio album which released in August.
Produced by Grammy-winning Greg Kurstin and written in North London’s Seven Sisters before being recorded in Los Angeles, the album is described as “a classic pop/rock album” that nods to the 1970s while remaining “rooted firmly in the present,”
“I actually think ‘The Clearing’ is our most experimental album. It might not sound radical to everyone, but for us it was about writing in a way we hadn’t before. In a modern setup, it’s too easy to rely on a laptop full of sounds. The real challenge was: here’s an acoustic guitar-does the song stand up? That was our experiment this time,” said Amey.
Ellis finds the ideation phase when the team decides what direction to take next the most exciting creatively.
“Each one of us write songs on our own, and then we come together and share them. It’s fun. With this album, we realised we were reacting to earlier tracks like ‘Last Man on Earth’, ‘Delicious Things’, and also the ‘Blue Lullaby’ EP, where we had deconstructed our songs to their fundamentals. That made us want to focus more on melodies, chords and harmonies, rather than leaning on computers or sonic techniques to fill in space.”
According to Ellis, the challenge was to get out of the comfort zone.
“It’s always tempting to take the easy way out-throw loads of stuff in-but we really trusted our gut on what we wanted the record to sound like. That was probably the biggest challenge,” he added.
The band is currently on a North American tour, which will continue until October 13.
As they travel from city to city, performing for fans across the continent, the members have been reflecting on the moments that make the experience truly special.
“This tour has been a roller coaster already for many reasons… Playing with my friends is always fun, but when the audience and band click, it’s a magical moment. I had that in Philadelphia recently,” Amey said.
“Wolf Alice” has also performed in India, debuting at the ‘Backdoors’ music festival in Mumbai and Bengaluru in February 2018.
And the band is looking forward to returning to the country soon, said the duo.
“It was an amazing experience, it was honestly wonderful for music to take us to somewhere like India, so I think if we can make it work in the touring setup, it’d be fantastic to come there,” Ellis said.
Amey added, “I’d love to collaborate as well, I just saw the new Gorillaz album has been recorded in India with musicians from over there, so I’m really excited to see what happens. I’d love to go over there and appreciate how beautiful the music and the musicianship is.”
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