Blue Weekend is the third studio album by English rock band Wolf Alice, released on 4 June 2021 through Dirty Hit. Blue Weekend was preceded by four singles—"The Last Man on Earth", "Smile", "No Hard Feelings" and "How Can I Make It OK?". The album received acclaim from music critics, with many naming it the band's best work, and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2021.
| Blue Weekend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 June 2021 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:08 | |||
| Label | Dirty Hit | |||
| Producer | Markus Dravs | |||
| Wolf Alice chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Blue Weekend | ||||
| ||||
Release
On 24 February 2021, Wolf Alice announced the album's title and initial release date of 11 June, alongside the release of lead single "The Last Man on Earth".[6] On 3 May 2021, the band announced that they would be bringing the album's release earlier by one week, to 4 June.[7]
Promotion
Singles
Blue Weekend was preceded by four singles. "The Last Man on Earth" was released on 24 February 2021 as the album's lead single.[8] It was premiered by Annie Mac on her eponymous BBC Radio 1 Radio program, where Ellie Rowsell and Theo Ellis from the band co-hosted with her. The music video was released on YouTube an hour after Mac's radio show started.[8]
"Smile" was released on 20 April 2021 as the album's second single. It was premiered the same way as its predecessor.[9]
"No Hard Feelings" was released on 11 May 2021, an hour earlier than the previous two on Zane Lowe's Apple Music show, with the music video again released on YouTube an hour afterwards.[10] "How Can I Make It OK?" was released on 3 June 2021 as the fourth and last single of the album along with a music video on YouTube.[11]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.3/10[12] |
| Metacritic | 91/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Classic Rock | 9/10[15] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [1] |
| DIY | [16] |
| The Guardian | [17] |
| The Independent | [5] |
| Mojo | [18] |
| NME | [19] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[20] |
| The Scotsman | [21] |
Blue Weekend received acclaim from music critics, many of whom described it as their best album.[22] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating of 100, the album received an average score of 91, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13] It was ranked as the third highest-rated album of 2021 on the website at the time of release.[23]
Blue Weekend was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2021, and multiple NME Awards in 2022.[24][25]
Accolades
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albumism | The 100 Best Albums of 2021 | 3 | |
| The AU Review | The 40 Best Albums of 2021 | 3 | |
| DIY | DIY’S Best Albums Of 2021 | 1 | |
| Far Out Magazine | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 6 | |
| Gaffa | Her er årets 20 bedste internationale album | 4 | |
| The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 2 | |
| NME | The 50 best albums of 2021 | 3 | |
| Nothing but Hope and Passion | NBHAP’s 50 Best Albums Of 2021 | 2 | |
| OOR | Dit Zijn De 20 Beste Albums Van 2021 | 7 | |
| The Skinny | The Skinny's Top Ten Albums of 2021 | 7 |
Commercial performance
Blue Weekend debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 36,182 copies sold in its first week, becoming Wolf Alice's first number-one album.[36] It was the biggest-selling album of 2021 in UK independent record shops.[37]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Theo Ellis and Joel Amey
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Beach" | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Delicious Things" | 5:04 |
| 3. | "Lipstick on the Glass" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Smile" | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Safe from Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)" | 2:32 |
| 6. | "How Can I Make It OK?" | 4:47 |
| 7. | "Play the Greatest Hits" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Feeling Myself" | 4:43 |
| 9. | "The Last Man on Earth" | 4:21 |
| 10. | "No Hard Feelings" | 2:35 |
| 11. | "The Beach II" | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 40:08 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Smile" (Demo) | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 43:21 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Time Is Not A Straight Line" (Demo) | 2:35 |
| Total length: | 42:43 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Blue Weekend.[41]
Wolf Alice
- Ellie Rowsell – vocals, guitar, piano, bass, programming, Mellotron, synth, Wurlitzer, string arrangement
- Joff Oddie – guitar, piano, backing vocals, glock, programming, synth, claps, electric upright bass, bass, tenor resonator, 12-string, classical guitar, acoustic guitar
- Theo Ellis – bass, programming
- Joel Amey – drums, percussion, synth, backing vocals, guitar, Stylophone, programming, claps
Additional musicians
- Owen Pallett – string arrangement, violin, viola
- Iain Berryman – glasses, programming, keys, trumpet
- Joel Workman – electric upright bass
- Michael Peter Olsen – cello
- Markus Dravs – programming, synth
Technical
- Markus Dravs – production
- Iain Berryman – engineering, additional production
- Joel Workman – engineering assistance (all tracks); additional engineering (track 9)
- Charlie Andrew – vocal production (track 3); additional vocal production (tracks 1, 6, 9, 10); additional vocal recording (tracks 2, 4)
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
- Matt Wolach – mixing assistance
- Ted Jensen – mastering
Artwork
- Jordan Hemingway – creative direction, photography
- Jamie Reid – art direction
- Aiden Miller – design
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (2021) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[56] | 71 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[57] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 4 June 2021 | Dirty Hit | Not applicable | [58] | |
| Australia | CD |
| LIB226CD | [59] | |
| LP | DH1058 | [60] | |||
| LP (JB Hi-Fi exclusive editions) |
| [61] | |||
| New Zealand | CD | Universal Music New Zealand | LIB226CD | [62] | |
| LP | DH1058 | [63] | |||
| LP (JB Hi-Fi exclusive editions) |
|
| [64] |
References
External links
- Blue Weekend at Discogs (list of releases)