The new Wolf Alice record is called The Clearing. A name that suggests absence, maybe silence, but also something ceremonial: a patch of land carved out, tended to, set apart. It arrived August 22nd, their fourth studio album, and third time reminding us that they are the rare kind of band whose mythology keeps renewing itself upon each offering. Wolf Alice—Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Theo Ellis, Joel Amey—have spent upwards of a decade shapeshifting in real time: from the grainy, thrash-to-sweetness energy of My Love Is Cool, to the sprawl of Visions of a Life, to Blue Weekend, their critical coronation, all cathedral-sized melancholy and grandeur.

What makes The Clearing different is its refusal of the spectacle. Where Blue Weekend tilted toward the cinematic, this record leans into utmost deliberation, intimacy even. It is etched from pauses and asides as much as crescendos and rifts, a patchwork stitched from the threads of contradiction. At its core, Wolf Alice is a band not interested in erecting monuments but in holding space—space for doubt, tenderness, the small, and the rhythms that sustain us wholly.

Listen to “Just Two Girls.” At first blush, it’s a pint glass clink. But Rowsell sings it with such reverence that one must acknowledge the holiness of the mundane: that leaning into a friend’s shoulder could be the revolution, that nothingness can feel seismic. Or “Bloom Baby Bloom,” which lilts like a pep talk whispered through curtains, equal parts invitation and dare. This is music that is cognizant of life’s multiplicities: knowing that it is both cosmic and microscopic, that girlhood is both banal and godlike, and noise and silence are not reduced to rivalry.

In conversation, Rowsell is as precise as she is elusive—she refuses to reduce songs to loglines, but she offers fragments, flashes, glimpses into the conditions that birthed them. We spoke about girlhood, the dichotomy between privacy and demands of openness, about the alchemy of a crowd. The result is a portrait of a band still hungry, still restless, still refusing to resolve contradiction—because resolution is seldom the point.

How does The Clearing differ from you other offerings, in a philosophical sense? The album is very reflective, illuminating the concept of arrival not as a physical destination, but as a sense of peace—how is this a departure from your earlier works, and how is it a continuation?

I think it is a continuation of the lyrical themes we have approached before: love and friendship, self reflection, power. But I think this time ‘round we weren't beholden to making something that felt resolved or figured out. The clearing is more peaceful, not because you've found what you're searching for, but maybe because you've started to accept that that isn't the goal.

‍Tell me about "Just Two Girls." What does this song portray about girlhood to you?

I don't really know how to do it justice with a simple explanation. I guess what I was trying to say is that something like a simple natter at the bar with a girlfriend can be life affirming, soul enriching, validating and loving.

What were the biggest influences for this particular era? Music/books/movies that informed your work this time around?

For the first time we were pretty musically referential in the writing and recording process. Normally we speak a lot about films and books and more obscure, descriptive words to the producer, but I think after playing a few covers and listening to a lot of music, we were more inspired by other people's work and our past experiences in the studio and on stage.

How do you prioritize privacy and peace whilst also being vulnerable?

Good question and one that I'm not sure I know the answer to! But I think you have poetic license that means you’re releasing a piece of art rather than a diary entry. And perhaps developing some kind of version of yourself that is for your audience is probably helpful. I think you can be honest and open without giving your whole self away, although it's hard.

You're on tour now—when was the first time you fell in love with a crowd? When was the most recent time?

I cry a lot, haha. I actually find it a bit overwhelming to look into the crowd and see people enjoy themselves, especially if they are alone. If I see anyone who is having a solo experience at our shows, I have to look away because it really, really moves me.

What does the future of Wolf Alice look like, and what excites you about it?

I don't know what the future looks like and that's what really excites me. This is quite a fun period of time in our band, where we've put out our latest album and are just starting to kind of open ourselves up to other kinds of music again, and no one knows where inspiration will take us next, but we're all looking for clues like "ohhhh you've been listening to that album a lot haven't you," or "oooh you keep noodling that riff."

What about the Angela Carter short story (from which you derive your name) initially attracted you, and how does it still apply at this point in the band's career?

I think fairytales are fun because they're fantasy with rich imagery, but they express something human and universal. I guess Angela Carter is appealing because she does this in an adult way. I need to read more of her work as I haven't in a while, but she's cool!