Visions of a Life

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Visions of a Life
Studio album by
Wolf Alice
Released29 September 2017 (2017-09-29)
Genre
Length46:39
LabelDirty Hit
ProducerJustin Meldal-Johnsen
Wolf Alice chronology
My Love Is Cool
(2015) 		Visions of a Life
(2017) 		Blue Weekend
(2021)
Singles from Visions of a Life
  1. "Yuk Foo"
    Released: 12 June 2017
  2. "Don't Delete the Kisses"
    Released: 5 July 2017
  3. "Beautifully Unconventional"
    Released: 14 August 2017
  4. "Heavenward"
    Released: 18 September 2017
  5. "Formidable Cool"
    Released: 16 February 2018
  6. "Sadboy"
    Released: 2 March 2018
  7. "Space & Time"
    Released: 8 May 2018

Visions of a Life is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice, released on 29 September 2017 through Dirty Hit.[1] The album received acclaim from music critics and appeared on several year-end lists, as well as winning the 2018 Mercury Prize.[2]

Background and release[edit]

In November 2016, drummer Joel Amey said the band is "very much in the middle of writing some new music." In May 2017, the band teased the album by sending mysterious postcards with song titles and lyrics of each of the album tracks to fans on their mailing list, which they later posted on Twitter.[3] On 12 June, the band premiered the lead single "Yuk Foo" on BBC Radio 1,[4] with a lyric video being later uploaded to the band's Vevo channel on YouTube.[5] They announced the release date of their upcoming album Visions of a Life would be on 29 September 2017.[6] The band stated that the album is "pretty varied" and that they wanted to "come out with a big bang," which is why they chose "Yuk Foo" as the first track to be released, adding that the rest of the album is "pretty different to that."[7] The band announced a world tour in support of the album with the dates being posted to the band's official website.[8] The tour includes their biggest headline show to date at Alexandra Palace in London on 24 November.[4] The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen.[4]

On 5 July, the band released the second single, "Don't Delete the Kisses", and made the album available for pre-order, along with the reveal of the album cover, which features a photo of lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell's aunt, Hellen, "playing the classic game of 'dance round the horse's skull in your Sunday best'".[9][10] The accompanying music video for "Don't Delete the Kisses" was released on 11 August.[11] The third single, "Beautifully Unconventional", was premiered on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show on 14 August, and was subsequently released for digital download and streaming services.[12] A 1950s-inspired music video was released on 11 September.[13] The band released "Heavenward" as the fourth single on 18 September. The song premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show, and subsequently released for digital download and streaming.[14] According to a press release, the song is about the death of a friend.[15] The album's fifth single, "Formidable Cool", was released on 16 February 2018.[16] On 2 March 2018, "Sadboy" was released as the sixth single, followed by an accompanying music video three days later.[17][18] "Space & Time" was released on 8 May 2018 as the seventh single.[19] A music video for the song was released on 30 May 2018.[20]

Composition[edit]

Visions of a Life is primarily an alternative rock[21] and noise rock album,[22] and was noted by numerous critics to take influences from various genres, including shoegaze, punk rock, dream pop, grunge, psychedelia, folk, space rock, synth-pop, hardcore and electronica.[23][24][25][26]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[27]
Metacritic81/100[28]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[29]
The A.V. ClubB+[30]
The Guardian[24]
The Irish Times[26]
Mojo[31]
NME[32]
Pitchfork7.0/10[25]
Q[33]
Rolling Stone[22]
Uncut6/10[34]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[28] Rhian Daly of NME called it the album of the year and claimed that "with Visions of a Life Wolf Alice are removing any doubt about their status in the UK music scene. Best band in Britain? 100 per cent."[32] Drowned in Sound's Luke Beardsworth called the album "a phenomenal achievement. It has captured on record the thrill, angst, sadness and uncertainty of being in your twenties and not really knowing what's going to happen or should happen. All of it is never anything less than intoxicating, heartfelt and effortless ... It feels like one of the most crucial, relevant, angry, cool and vibrant records of the decade. Wolf Alice, as fantastic bands tend to, have completely disregarded the idea that a second album should be difficult and turned out a genuine masterpiece."[35] AllMusic's Heather Phares described the album as "a reflection of a young band trying out all its possibilities," and thought it's "more scattered than My Love Is Cool, but its best songs hint at even more potential."[29] The A.V. Club's Gwen Ihnat said "In lesser hands, this kind of sonic disparity could be chaotic and confusing—but with Rowsell's voice as the guiding light, Visions is a captivating, enjoyable ride."[30] Will Richards of DIY said, "there's no difficult second album syndrome here. Visions of a Life is a gorgeously twisted beast that keeps Wolf Alice on the path to being Britain's best band."[36]

Matt the Raven from Under the Radar stated that the album "may be a somewhat inconsistent journey but it's also pure rock and roll splendor from a band that's super talented and not afraid to take chances."[37] Kerrang! stated that "the eclectic sounds of Wolf Alice's debut made them stars, but this sequel finds them doing everything bigger and better."[28] Bella Spencer of The Skinny wrote, "the album caters for all – there are heavy tracks for hardcore fans and songs with a more approachable indie feel for those who need a gentle introduction to the ways of the Wolf. So sit back, relax and scream to your heart's content."[21] In a more mixed review, Consequence of Sound's Geoff Nelson thought that "Visions of a Life is often full, seeming to overflow. But the substance is lacking, resulting in a tiring trip through a band gamely trying not to merely cover itself."[38] In his rave review for musicOMH, critic Craig Jones stated that "there are no low points in this relentless record. At times it is beastly, baring its teeth. At others, it's divinely angelic", continuing: "So relevant and of its moment, touching on the little things which make up our lives then showing utter disdain to the establishment, you'll struggle to find many better albums than Visions of a Life this year."[39]

Accolades[edit]

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Drowned in Sound Favourite Albums of 2017
2017
1
[40]
RIOT Mag RIOT's Albums Of The Year 2017
2017
6
[41]
NME Albums of the Year
2017
2
[42]
NME Best Albums of the Decade
2019
22
[43]
Q 50 Best Albums of 2017
2017
3
[44]

Commercial performance[edit]

Visions of a Life debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with 19,333 copies sold in its first week,[45] becoming the band's second consecutive album to debut at this position.[46] As of September 2018, the album had sold 57,214 copies in the United Kingdom.[47]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Theo Ellis and Joel Amey

No.TitleLength
1."Heavenward"4:55
2."Yuk Foo"2:13
3."Beautifully Unconventional"2:13
4."Don't Delete the Kisses"4:35
5."Planet Hunter"3:52
6."Sky Musings"2:58
7."Formidable Cool"3:33
8."Space & Time"2:27
9."Sadboy"4:11
10."St. Purple & Green"4:21
11."After the Zero Hour"3:24
12."Visions of a Life"7:57
Total length:46:39
Limited edition bonus 7-inch vinyl[48]
No.TitleLength
13."Yuk Foo" (demo)1:48
14."Bad Things" (demo)1:11
Total length:49:38

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Visions of a Life.[49]

Wolf Alice[edit]

  • Ellie Rowsell – vocals, guitar, keyboards, Omnichord, synthesisers
  • Joff Oddie – guitar, keyboards, programming, backing vocals, synthesisers
  • Theo Ellis – bass, keyboards, synthesisers, backing vocals
  • Joel Amey – drums, backing vocals, percussion, keyboards, programming, Omnichord

Additional personnel[edit]

  • Justin Meldal-Johnsen – production (all tracks); keyboards, programming (track 6); synthesisers (track 9)
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing
  • Carlos de la Garza – engineering (all tracks); additional percussion (tracks 7, 12)
  • Mike Schuppan – engineering
  • Tyler Shields – engineering assistance
  • Dave Cooley – mastering
  • Charlie Ellis – backing vocals (track 12)
  • Robert O'Hara – design

Charts[edit]

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[50] 54
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[51] 91
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[52] 133
Irish Albums (IRMA)[53] 13
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[54] 2
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[55] 3
Scottish Albums (OCC)[56] 2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[57] 61
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[58] 88
UK Albums (OCC)[59] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[60] 1
US Billboard 200[61] 190
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[62] 25
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[63] 39

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Richards, Will (12 June 2017). "Wolf Alice return! Hear 'Yuk Foo' from new album 'Vision of a Life'". DIY. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  2. ^ "See the 2018 Shortlist". Mercury Prize. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  3. ^ Daly, Rhian (25 May 2017). "Wolf Alice are sending mysterious postcards to fans". NME. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Daly, Rhian (12 June 2017). "Wolf Alice announce new single 'Yuk Foo', second album and UK and world tour". NME. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Wolf Alice – Yuk Foo (Lyric Video)". YouTube. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  6. ^ Kaye, Ben (12 June 2017). "Wolf Alice announce sophomore album, Visions of a Life, share "Yuk Foo" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  7. ^ @BBCR1 (12 June 2017). ""We wanted to come out with a big bang" @WolfAliceMusic are @AnnieMac's #HottestRecord with 'Yuk Foo' & tour news" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 July 2017 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Wolf Alice". wolfalice.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  9. ^ Morgan Britton, Luke (5 July 2017). "Wolf Alice release new single 'Don't Delete The Kisses' and share 'Visions Of A Life' album artwork". NME. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  10. ^ @wolfalicemusic (5 July 2017). "That's a photo of Ellie's aunty Helen playing the classic game of 'dance round the horse's skull in your Sunday best'" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 July 2017 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ WolfAliceVEVO (11 August 2017). "Wolf Alice – Don't Delete the Kisses". YouTube. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  12. ^ Butler, Will (14 August 2017). "Listen to Wolf Alice's new track, 'Beautifully Unconventional'". NME. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  13. ^ Myers, Owen (11 September 2017). "Wolf Alice Get A Glamorous '50s Makeover in Their "Beautifully Unconventional" Video". The Fader. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Wolf Alice unveil 'Heavenward' from forthcoming album, 'Visions of a Life'". DIY. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  15. ^ Morgan Britton, Luke (18 September 2017). "Stream Wolf Alice's personal new single 'Heavenward'". NME. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Formidable Cool (Edit) – Single by Wolf Alice". iTunes Store. United Kingdom. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Sadboy (Edit) – Single by Wolf Alice". iTunes Store. Canada. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  18. ^ WolfAliceVEVO (5 March 2018). "Wolf Alice - Sadboy". YouTube. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  19. ^ Space & Time / Formiddable Cool (LP liner notes). Wolf Alice. Dirty Hit. 2018. DH00317.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Watch Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell become runaway bride in epic 'Space and Time' video". NME. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  21. ^ a b Spencer, Bella (25 September 2017). "Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life album review". The Skinny. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  22. ^ a b Levy, Joe (4 October 2017). "Review: Wolf Alice Deliver Noise-Rock Seduction on Second LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  23. ^ Pearson, Rick (29 September 2017). "Wolf Alice - Visions of a Life, review". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  24. ^ a b Mumford, Gwilym (28 September 2017). "Wolf Alice: Visions of a Life review – exuberant guitar-driven genre jumble". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  25. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (2 October 2017). "Wolf Alice: Visions of a Life". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  26. ^ a b Clayton-Lea, Tony (27 September 2017). "Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life album review: Londoners enter new chapter". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  27. ^ "Visions Of A Life by Wolf Alice reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  28. ^ a b c "Reviews and Tracks for Visions of a Life by Wolf Alice". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  29. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Visions of a Life – Wolf Alice". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  30. ^ a b Ihnat, Gwen (28 September 2017). "Wolf Alice's Visions Of A Life finds beauty in chaos". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  31. ^ Cameron, Keith (November 2017). "Ahead of the pack". Mojo (288): 92.
  32. ^ a b Daly, Rhian (27 September 2017). "Wolf Alice – 'Visions Of A Life' Album Review". NME. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  33. ^ Barton, Laura (November 2017). "Howling Success". Q (378): 110.
  34. ^ Richards, Sam (November 2017). "Wolf Alice: Visions of a Life". Uncut (246): 39.
  35. ^ Beardsworth, Luke (26 September 2017). "Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  36. ^ Richards, Will (28 September 2017). "Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life". DIY. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  37. ^ the Raven, Matt (28 September 2017). "Wolf Alice: Visions of a Life Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  38. ^ Nelson, Geoff (22 September 2017). "Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  39. ^ Jones, Craig (5 October 2017). "Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life". musicOMH. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  40. ^ "Drowned in Sound's Favourite Albums of 2017". Drowned in Sound. 22 November 2017. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  41. ^ "RIOT's Albums Of The Year 2017". RIOT Mag. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  42. ^ "NME's Albums of the Year 2017". NME. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  43. ^ "The Best Albums of The Decade: The 2010s". NME. 29 November 2019.
  44. ^ "When Liam Met Ed... The New Issue, Out On Tuesday". Q. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  45. ^ Jones, Alan (6 October 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Shania Twain takes No. 1 in close battle with Wolf Alice". Music Week. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  46. ^ Copsey, Rob (6 October 2017). "Shania Twain wins fiercely fought battle against Wolf Alice to claim her first Number 1 in 18 years on the Official Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  47. ^ Paine, Andre (21 September 2018). "'We won a Mercury, this is mad!': Post-prize sales surge for Wolf Alice". Music Week. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  48. ^ Visions of a Life (bonus 7-inch single). Wolf Alice. Dirty Hit. 2017. DH00229.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  49. ^ Visions of a Life (liner notes). Wolf Alice. Dirty Hit. 2017. DH00213.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  50. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #441". auspOp. 7 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  51. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  52. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  53. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Wolf Alice". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  54. ^ "Top 20 Independent – Week Ending 6 Oct 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  55. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  56. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  57. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  58. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  59. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  60. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  61. ^ "Wolf Alice Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  62. ^ "Wolf Alice Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  63. ^ "Wolf Alice Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  64. ^ "British album certifications – Visions of a Life – Wolf Alice". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 March 2022. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Wolf Alice in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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