Wolf Alice - The Clearing [Black] (LP) Vinyl

The Clearing is the fourth studio album by the English band Wolf Alice, released on 22 August 2025 through RCA and Columbia Records. It follows Blue Weekend (2021) and is the band's first record for a major label, after three albums on Dirty Hit.

The Album

The songs were written in Seven Sisters, north London, and recorded in Los Angeles with producer Greg Kurstin. Wolf Alice described the record as a classic pop/rock album, drawing on 1970s influence while staying rooted firmly in the present. Four singles were taken from it: "Bloom Baby Bloom" (15 May 2025), "The Sofa" (11 July 2025), "White Horses" (8 August 2025) and "Just Two Girls" (9 September 2025).

All eleven tracks were written by Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Joel Amey and Theo Ellis, with Greg Kurstin co-writing "Thorns", "Just Two Girls" and "The Sofa".

Recording

Every tracking session took place at Kurstin's No Expectations Studio, with the band playing together in the live room rather than building the songs up part by part. Kurstin has said the group wanted a very organic sound, with guitarist Joff Oddie asking to hear the wood of the instruments, so upright bass, acoustic guitar, piano and strings run throughout and even the electric guitars are kept warm rather than heavily processed. The room's vintage side includes a 3M M79 sixteen track two inch tape machine and an EMT 140 plate. Mark "Spike" Stent mixed the album and Emily Lazar mastered it at The Lodge in New York.

This Pressing

This is the standard edition on a single 12 inch black vinyl LP, issued by Columbia and RCA under catalogue number 19802908991 and pressed by Optimal Media. Lacquers were cut at Rare Form Mastering. The eleven tracks run six on side A and five on side B, and the package adds a poster and a lyrics booklet. The sleeve carries a Parental Advisory explicit content mark.

Reception

The Clearing entered the Official UK Albums Chart at number one with 30,136 album equivalent units, giving Wolf Alice their second consecutive chart topping album, and it reached number one on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart in the same week. It was nominated for the 2025 Mercury Prize and for British Album of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards, and has been certified Silver by the BPI.

Track Listing

Side A
1. Thorns
2. Bloom Baby Bloom
3. Just Two Girls
4. Leaning Against The Wall
5. Passenger Seat
6. Play It Out

Side B
7. Bread Butter Tea Sugar
8. Safe In The World
9. Midnight Song
10. White Horses
11. The Sofa