Wolf Alice has been serenading listeners with dreamy indie rock since 2010. The four-piece London-based band dropped “The Last Man on Earth” in February 2021 as the first single for their album Blue Weekend to be released in June 2021.
The ethereal, vocal-forward song was dropped as a music video that captures dreamy piano instrumentals behind Ellie Roswell’s voice. Ellie is filmed in black and white, shadowy and somber with a spotlight on her. Her face feels like a memory captured with blurry, mirrored images of herself, waves on the beach and her eyes tossing from side-to-side.
“The Last Man on Earth” kicks off with throaty, tender vocals reminiscent of Soko, but gradually builds to a louder sound on the chorus. Ellie’s passion and emotion carry the song, her somber tone rising to almost anger by the middle of the song. During the second verse, some layered vocals come in with drums and a full-bodied choir sound by the bridge, followed by an almost psychedelic bassline — I think this bassline really makes the track unique and transforms the sound.
As the song builds, the scene transforms from the dreamy, soft glow in the first part to a fiery landscape. The video captures the emotion behind Ellie’s vocals through elements showing the shift from sadness to anger. By the end, she returns to her soft tone; the contrast is chilling.
“The Last Man on Earth” is a lyrically complex song with references to God and light, describing someone that masks themselves as being holy and bright as pain wells inside; “A penny for your truth/ But I hedge my bets on wealth/ ‘Cause it’s lies after lies after lies/ But do you even fool yourself.” This song feels heavy on my chest (in a good way); it’s goosebump inducing.