I'm late to the game. Wolf Alice has been playing and touring for quite some time. I've passed them by thinking it's that band that came up on my radar now and again that I can't remember the name of - something "wolf" in it?... Wolf Parade? Wolfmother? Fucking idiot. I'm sure all these bands would be equally ready to make me bite the curb in order to remember their names printed on the disc spines. Wolf Alice is the shark waiting in the murky pool of indie of music. Just enough pop to lure you close to the edge. You can't see what's in the water, so you get down on your chest for a closer look. And while smiling at your own reflection, the shark comes up and bites your fucking head off. I know that "indie" is an over used defining label put on bands and records these days. Just like "emo" became a word to replace some variation of "pop", "indie" seems to get thrown onto every new band that's touring with a fresh EP out.

You shouldn't think of "My Love Is Cool" as indie (in fact, let's kill the fucking word), nor is it fresh. Both the record and the band is far from it. More like seasoned. The band formed in 2010 and per Ellie* speaking about the record (out 2015), "Um. Yeah. I don't know. It's crazy, we kind of toured it for almost 2... well, longer than 2yrs. I mean 2yrs since it came out, but we were touring those songs way before that. So, it's done its time, I think." A shark can go a long time without eating. But why would a band sit on songs for more than 2yrs? Not for you, but... really... for you. One is her or his or their own worst critic. So, for oneself, 2yrs may actually be a shorter time than you think. Certainly, it's shorter than never, but it was waiting. Not for the accolade or award nominations. Not for success.

It was waiting for you.

Rolling Stone 3.5/5 | Metacritic 78 | CoS B- | Pitchfork 7.4 | Telegraph 4/5

Listen on Spotify.

*interview with Ellie Rowsell - FaceCulture (part 1) here