Blue Weekend

Wolf Alice’s third studio album, “Blue Weekend,” was released on 4th June 2021 via Dirty Hit. Preceded by four singles‚ “The Last Man on Earth”, “Smile”, “No Hard Feelings”, and “How Can I Make It OK?”‚ the album showcases the band’s diverse musical influences, blending elements of rock, indie pop, alternative rock, and shoegaze across its 40-minute runtime.

The album’s title and initial release date of 11th June were announced on 24th February 2021, coinciding with the release of the lead single, “The Last Man on Earth.” However, on 3rd May 2021, the band decided to bring forward the album’s release by one week, to 4th June.

“Blue Weekend” received widespread acclaim from music critics, many considering it Wolf Alice’s finest work to date. With an average score of 91 on Metacritic, based on 19 reviews, the album garnered “universal acclaim” and was ranked as the third highest-rated album of 2021 on the site at the time of release.

In addition to critical acclaim, “Blue Weekend” was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2021 and received multiple nominations at the NME Awards in 2022. It also featured prominently on various year-end lists, cementing its status as one of the standout albums of 2021.

Commercially, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, marking Wolf Alice’s first number-one album. It also became the biggest-selling album of 2021 in UK independent record shops.

“Blue Weekend” offers a tracklist filled with compelling compositions, with tracks like “The Last Man on Earth”, “Smile”, and “How Can I Make It OK?” showcasing the band’s musical versatility and songwriting prowess. The Japanese edition of the album includes a bonus track, “Smile” (Demo), while the Record Store Day 2021 edition features an additional bonus track, “Time Is Not A Straight Line” (Demo). Both are wonderful and are worth checking out if you’ve not heard them.

The album’s production credits go to Markus Dravs, with additional contributions from various musicians and technical personnel, including Owen Pallett, Iain Berryman, and Charlie Andrew. The artwork direction was handled by Jordan Hemingway and Jamie Reid.