Wolf Alice - 'White Horses'
‘White Horses’ by Wolf Alice is a fresh, exciting, and ultimately very Wolf Alice track.
Wolf Alice have released their new single ‘White Horses’, the third offering from their forthcoming album The Clearing. It continues a set of impressive singles building up to the release of the full record. Inspired by themes of identity and family, the alt-rock track showcases drummer Joel Amey on lead vocals for the first time in years, before frontwoman Ellie Rowsell joins for a sweet duet.
The lyrics were originally written by Joel on a car journey with his mum, aunt and sister. He recently shared: “We’ve never really known where we came in terms of heritage until recently. My mum and my aunt were adopted, and for years it posed questions of identity and where our roots lay for all of us, but for me, they never seemed like answers I needed to find out.”
He sings: “My sister paints apathy like blasphemy / I've seen god's green earth with the people closest to me / It's my choice to choose who I embrace as family / I choose you yeah I choose you.” Embracing one’s chosen family and identity as deeply personal and most important to him.
The song is sonically subtly striking, with a propulsive synth motif that loops and swells, drawing listeners into a gently psychedelic soundscape. The production has a fine balance between dreamy and forward-moving without ever losing emotional clarity. The vocals on the chorus are strongly reminiscent of The Cranberries with a Krautrock-inspired background.
This single comes after the release of the fantastic ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ and the career highlight ‘The Sofa’, as well as an impressive Glastonbury set that has stayed in people’s minds ever since. Their new album The Clearing is set for release on August 22nd, their first record under Sony Music/Columbia Records, following their departure from Dirty Hit. The album is expected to follow the 70s and 80s inspiration with nods to giants like Fleetwood Mac, while being fresh, exciting, and ultimately very Wolf Alice.
Words by Marcos Sanoja
