The band began in 2010, initially as a solo project of Ellie Rowsell, with the name taken from a short story by Angela Carter. She was joined by guitarist Joff Oddie and later by Joel Amey and Theo Ellis. They released a self-titled EP, Wolf Alice in 2012 as well as a single called "Leaving You" which gained airplay from BBC Radio 1 and featured in NME's 'Radar' section.
They then toured with Peace, recorded a session for Huw Stephens' Radio 1 show in January, and released their first physical single "Fluffy" in February 2013 on the Chess Club label. Their second single "Bros", released in May, is about friendship and is one of the first songs Rowsell wrote and the band usually played it during their early stages.
2017–2020: Visions of a Life, Mercury Prize Win
In June 2017, Wolf Alice released the lead single "Yuk Foo" off their second studio album, Visions of a Life. They released three more singles, "Don't Delete the Kisses", "Beautifully Unconventional", and "Heavenward", before the release of their album on 28 September. In 2018, they also released "Formidable Cool", "Sadboy" and "Space & Time" as singles from the album.
In September 2018, the band won the Mercury Prize for their album Visions of a Life
2021–present: Blue Weekend
On 15 February 2021, the band's website was updated to show a looping video of an eye, with the heading "The Last Man on Earth". On 22 February 2021, the band announced that their single "The Last Man on Earth" would be released on 24 February 2021, and would debut on Annie Mac's show on BBC Radio 1. The release of the single was backed by the announcement of their third studio album, Blue Weekend, which was released on 4 June 2021. The second single from the album, "Smile", was released on 20 April 2021.
Blue Weekend received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for the 2021 Mercury Prize. On release, music publication The Forty-Five called Blue Weekend "a ballsy idyll of feeling: the sound of a band satisfying themselves rather than proving themselves, and completely filling the space they’ve carved out over the years."
Wolf Alice won the 2022 Brit Award for Group of the Year.
On October 29th 2021, the band released Blue Weekend: Tour Deluxe which includes four live versions of tracks from the album ('Smile', 'How Can I Make it OK', 'Safe From Heartbreak', and 'The Last Man on Earth') as well as a live cover of 'Bobby' by Alex G.
On 5 May 2022, the band released a lullaby version of "The Last Man on Earth" as a single and announced Blue Lullaby, an EP featuring reworked lullaby versions of five tracks from Blue Weekend, which was subsequently released on 24 June 2022. During the summer of 2022, the band played 17 shows supporting Harry Styles' Love On Tour, the first date in Hamburg on the 26th of June and the last show in Lisbon on the 31st of July.
Official site
Giant Peach
Wolf Alice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got my letter in the box
Tired of waiting for the bus to nowhere
And tired of chasing the stone fox
I don't tell lies no more, ya know
I just don't tell the truth
I don't know what I'm looking for, ya know
But I'm not looking for proof
I have a tricky love affair, ya know
With the place where I grew up
But it knows I'll never leave, ya know
I never left it much
I hate to see it despair, oh, don't you do it
I hate to see it screw up
But it knows I can hardly grieve
When it's hard to give a, hard to give a
Don't know what keeps me here
It's not the boy giving the funny feels
Don't know what keeps me here
It's not the P to pay for the wheel
What the hell keeps me here?
In this dark old town that I've adored
The rules don't seem so clear
And change, it feels like fear, it's all you know
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and handsome town
Our dark and pretty town
My dark and pretty town
The lyrics of "Giant Peach" by Wolf Alice are open to interpretation, but they can be read as a reflection on self-discovery and a desire for change. The singer seems to be stuck in a rut in their hometown, disillusioned with the familiar routines and people around them. They feel disconnected from their own identity and uncertain about their future. The line "I don't tell lies no more, ya know, I just don't tell the truth" suggests a sense of ambivalence or even apathy towards their own life.
The singer also expresses a complicated relationship with their hometown. They love it but feel trapped by it, unable to leave or fully embrace it. They acknowledge that the town has problems but struggle to openly confront or address them. The repeated question "Don't know what keeps me here" underscores this sense of confusion and dissatisfaction.
Overall, "Giant Peach" seems to be a song about the complexities of growing up and finding one's place in the world. It recognizes that change can be scary and uncertain, but ultimately necessary for personal growth and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
I got change in a pocket somewhere
I have some money with me, but I'm not sure where it is exactly
Got my letter in the box
I received a letter in my mailbox
Tired of waiting for the bus to nowhere
I'm tired of waiting for something to happen in my life that never will
And tired of chasing the stone fox
I'm also tired of pursuing something that is unattainable
I don't tell lies no more, ya know
I've stopped lying to people
I just don't tell the truth
However, I also don't always reveal the whole truth
I don't know what I'm looking for, ya know
I'm unsure of what I want in life
But I'm not looking for proof
I don't need evidence to believe in something
I have a tricky love affair, ya know
I have complicated feelings about my hometown
With the place where I grew up
My hometown is where I spent my formative years
But it knows I'll never leave, ya know
However, I know that I'll never truly leave it behind
I never left it much
I didn't move away from my hometown very often
I hate to see it despair, oh, don't you do it
I don't like to see my hometown in a state of despair
I hate to see it screw up
I also don't like to see it making mistakes or causing problems
But it knows I can hardly grieve
Despite this, I can't fully mourn it either
When it's hard to give a, hard to give a
It's difficult to explain why I feel this way
Don't know what keeps me here
I don't understand why I'm still living in my hometown
It's not the boy giving the funny feels
It's not a romantic relationship that's keeping me here
It's not the P to pay for the wheel
It's not about money or status either
What the hell keeps me here?
I'm frustrated with my own lack of understanding about my situation
In this dark old town that I've adored
Despite its problems, I still have a deep affection for my hometown
The rules don't seem so clear
However, the guidelines for what to do or where to go in life aren't very clear to me
And change, it feels like fear, it's all you know
I'm afraid of change because it's something unfamiliar to me
Our dark and pretty town
My hometown is both dark and attractive
Our dark and pretty town
It's a place that has both positive and negative qualities
Our dark and handsome town
It's a place that has its own unique character and charm
Our dark and pretty town
It's a place that has both beauty and darkness intertwined
My dark and pretty town
It's a personal and subjective relationship I have with my hometown
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ellen Ciara Rowsell, Joel Donald Scott Amey, Jonathan David Oddie, Theodore Joseph Ellis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
None Ofthet
I got change in a pocket somewhere
Got my letter in the box
Tired of waiting for the bus to nowhere
And tired of chasing the stone fox
I don’t tell lies no more, you know
I just don’t tell the truth
I don’t know what I’m looking for, ya know
But I’m not looking for proof
I have a tricky love affair, you know
With the place where I grew up
But it knows I’ll never leave, ya know
I never left it much
I hate to see it despair, oh, don’t you do it
I hate to see it screw up
But it knows I can hardly grieve
When it’s hard to give a, hard to give a... wow!
What keeps me here?
It’s not the boy giving the funny feels
Don’t know what keeps me here
It’s not the P to pay for the wheel
What the hell keeps me here?
In this dark old town that I adore
The rules don’t seem so clear
And change, it feels like fear, it's all you know
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and handsome town
Our dark and pretty town
My dark and pretty town
The MoU
Lyrics
I got change in a pocket somewhere
Got my letter in the box
Tired of waiting for the bus to nowhere
And tired of chasing the stone fox
I don't tell lies no more, you know
I just don't tell the truth
I don't know what I'm looking for, ya know
But I'm not looking for proof
I have a tricky love affair, you know
With the place where I grew up
But it knows I'll never leave, ya know
I never left it much
I hate to see it despair, oh, don't you do it
I hate to see it screw up
But it knows I can hardly grieve
When it's hard to give a, hard to give a... wow!
What keeps me here?
It's not the boy giving the funny feels
Don't know what keeps me here
It's not the P to pay for the wheel
What the hell keeps me here?
In this dark old town that I adore
The rules don't seem so clear
And change, it feels like fear, it's all you know
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and handsome town
Our dark and pretty town
My dark and pretty town
Zahra Anwar
Giant Peach- Wolf Alice
LYRICS
I got change in a pocket somewhere
Got my letter in the box
Tired of waiting for the bus to nowhere
And tired of chasing the stone fox
I don’t tell lies no more, you know
I just don’t tell the truth
I don’t know what I’m looking for, ya know
But I’m not looking for proof
I have a tricky love affair, you know
With the place where I grew up
But it knows I’ll never leave, ya know
I never left it much
I hate to see it despair, oh, don’t you do it
I hate to see it screw up
But it knows I can hardly grieve
When it’s hard to give a, hard to give a... wow!
What keeps me here?
It’s not the boy giving the funny feels
Don’t know what keeps me here
It’s not the P to pay for the wheel
What the hell keeps me here?
In this dark old town that I adore
The rules don’t seem so clear
And change, it feels like fear, it's all you know
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and pretty town
Our dark and handsome town
Our dark and pretty town
My dark and pretty town
Songwriters: Ellen Ciara Rowsell
RosettaStoned525
That's probably one of the most epic outro riffs I've ever heard.
theenforcer22
Ellie Rowsell is absolutely beautiful..........and talented!
theenforcer22
lolno if you've seen them live, they're all talented.
Leonardo Guzmán
and beautifully unconventional
mh7667
This is one of those albums you can listen to start from finish, and there isn't a single dud track. Sounds like Sonic Youth but more modern
Daniel Lezcano
Yup good comparison. I also feel like theirs a touch of say Metro in their work in general ... kind of 80's new wave part 2 - evolved. LOVE IT!
Cameron Davar
that's EXACTLY what I thought!! they sound like sonic youth!! I AM IN LOVE!!!!!
Elisângela Vieira
And Vision of a life is the same! This band don't have any bad songs! I love ALL of them!
Christoph Carle
You forgot about "Soapy water" :-D (PS: I totally love this band)
dogteethuglyboys x
I remember when this record came out and it’s all I listened to all year. They make me so happy.