Blue Weekend in Bloomington, MN

Wolf Alice
's immensely successful second album,
Visions of a Life
, suggested they could go in any number of directions, but the one they chose for
Blue Weekend
is big with a capital B. On the band's third album, they play to the back of the arenas and stadiums these songs were designed to be performed in.
announce their ambitions -- and their ability to deliver on them -- with the vast two-part song "The Beach," which opens the set by swelling to ever-greater peaks and closes it on a sweetly philosophical note. In between,
demonstrates just how much the group's power and control have grown in the four years since
. The extra time they spent polishing the album in the studio with producer
Markus Dravs
during the COVID-19 lockdown was well spent: though songs like the luxurious Los Angeles homage "Delicious Things" reach a massive scope quickly,
Ellie Rowsell
always maintains a connection with her audience as she and the band zoom in and out from intimacy to majesty with cinematic skill. Even as they take their dream pop to epic new heights on the hauntingly seductive "Lipstick on the Glass," they're still capable of capturing tiny nuances on songs such as "Feeling Myself," where
Rowsell
's introspection also reflects the voyeuristic nature of witnessing someone else's self-expression. Even more so than on their previous albums,
stretch themselves emotionally as well as musically, particularly on "How Can I Make It OK?," a striking power ballad equally indebted to
Cocteau Twins
and
Olivia Newton-John
that surges forward on a huge riff as
sings "to live in fear isn't to live at all." Though
is dominated by slower songs, its outbursts are just as vital. "Smile"'s collage of funk, industrial, pop, and acoustic elements is muscular and vulnerable at the same time, with
snarling "I ain't ashamed of the fact that I'm sensitive," then declaring "If you don't like me/Well, that isn't f*cking relevant" soon after. The band's famed stylistic shifts feel more natural than ever, whether they're rocking out or harking back to their folky roots on "Safe from Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)" and "No Hard Feelings," a song about acceptance that skips away from heartache with deceptive ease. Songs like these ensure
never feels overwrought despite its ambition and lengthy creative process -- instead, it's the kind of big, unabashedly emotional album that people make memories to, and some of
's most confident and fully realized music. ~ Heather Phares