Blue Weekend

Blue Weekend is the third studio album by English rock band Wolf Alice, released on 4 June 2021 through Dirty Hit. Blue Weekend was preceded by four singles—"The Last Man on Earth", "Smile", "No Hard Feelings" and "How Can I Make It OK?". The album received acclaim from music critics, with many naming it the band's best work, and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2021.

Blue Weekend
Studio album by Wolf Alice
Released	4 June 2021
Studio	ICP (Brussels) Iguana (London)
Genre	Alternative rock[1] rock[2][1] indie pop[3][4] shoegaze[5]
Length	40:08
Label	Dirty Hit
Producer	Markus Dravs
Wolf Alice chronology
Visions of a Life (2017) Blue Weekend (2021)
Singles from Blue Weekend
"The Last Man on Earth" Released: 24 February 2021 "Smile" Released: 20 April 2021 "No Hard Feelings" Released: 11 May 2021 "How Can I Make It OK?" Released: 3 June 2021

Release

On 24 February 2021, Wolf Alice announced the album's title and initial release date of 11 June, alongside the release of lead single "The Last Man on Earth".^[6] On 3 May 2021, the band announced that they would be bringing the album's release earlier by one week, to 4 June.^[7]

Promotion

Singles

Blue Weekend was preceded by four singles. "The Last Man on Earth" was released on 24 February 2021 as the album's lead single.^[8] It was premiered by Annie Mac on her eponymous BBC Radio 1 Radio program, where Ellie Rowsell and Theo Ellis from the band co-hosted with her. The music video was released on YouTube an hour after Mac's radio show started.^[8]

"Smile" was released on 20 April 2021 as the album's second single. It was premiered the same way as its predecessor.^[9]

"No Hard Feelings" was released on 11 May 2021, an hour earlier than the previous two on Zane Lowe's Apple Music show, with the music video again released on YouTube an hour afterwards.^[10] "How Can I Make It OK?" was released on 3 June 2021 as the fourth and last single of the album along with a music video on YouTube.^[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.3/10[12]
Metacritic	91/100[13]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Classic Rock	9/10[15]
The Daily Telegraph	[2]
DIY	[16]
The Guardian	[17]
The Independent	[5]
Mojo	[18]
NME	[19]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[20]
The Scotsman	[21]

Blue Weekend received acclaim from music critics, many of whom described it as their best album.^[22] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating of 100, the album received an average score of 91, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[13] It was ranked as the third highest-rated album of 2021 on the website at the time of release.^[23]

Blue Weekend was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2021, and multiple NME Awards in 2022.^[24][25]

Accolades

Blue Weekend on year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Albumism	The 100 Best Albums of 2021	3	[26]
The AU Review	The 40 Best Albums of 2021	3	[27]
DIY	DIY’S Best Albums Of 2021	1	[28]
Far Out Magazine	The 50 Best Albums of 2021	6	[29]
Gaffa	Her er årets 20 bedste internationale album	4	[30]
The Guardian	The 50 Best Albums of 2021	2	[31]
NME	The 50 best albums of 2021	3	[32]
Nothing but Hope and Passion	NBHAP’s 50 Best Albums Of 2021	2	[33]
OOR	Dit Zijn De 20 Beste Albums Van 2021	7	[34]
The Skinny	The Skinny's Top Ten Albums of 2021	7	[35]

Commercial performance

Blue Weekend debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 36,182 copies sold in its first week, becoming Wolf Alice's first number-one album.^[36] It was the biggest-selling album of 2021 in UK independent record shops.^[37]

Track listing

Blue Weekend track listing^[38]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Beach"	2:35
2.	"Delicious Things"	5:04
3.	"Lipstick on the Glass"	4:07
4.	"Smile"	3:16
5.	"Safe from Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)"	2:32
6.	"How Can I Make It OK?"	4:47
7.	"Play the Greatest Hits"	2:27
8.	"Feeling Myself"	4:43
9.	"The Last Man on Earth"	4:21
10.	"No Hard Feelings"	2:35
11.	"The Beach II"	3:39
Total length:		40:08

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

Japanese edition bonus track ^[39]

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Smile" (Demo)	3:10
Total length:		43:21

Record Store Day 2021 edition bonus track ^[40]

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Time Is Not A Straight Line" (Demo)	2:35
Total length:		42:43

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Blue Weekend.^[41]

Wolf Alice

• Ellie Rowsell – vocals, guitar, piano, bass, programming, Mellotron, synth, Wurlitzer, string arrangement
• Joff Oddie – guitar, piano, backing vocals, glock, programming, synth, claps, electric upright bass, bass, tenor resonator, 12-string, classical guitar, acoustic guitar
• Theo Ellis – bass, programming
• Joel Amey – drums, percussion, synth, backing vocals, guitar, Stylophone, programming, claps

Additional musicians

• Owen Pallett – string arrangement, violin, viola
• Iain Berryman – glasses, programming, keys, trumpet
• Joel Workman – electric upright bass
• Michael Peter Olsen – cello
• Markus Dravs – programming, synth

Technical

• Markus Dravs – production
• Iain Berryman – engineering, additional production
• Joel Workman – engineering assistance (all tracks); additional engineering (track 9)
• Charlie Andrew – vocal production (track 3); additional vocal production (tracks 1, 6, 9, 10); additional vocal recording (tracks 2, 4)
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
• Matt Wolach – mixing assistance
• Ted Jensen – mastering

Artwork

• Jordan Hemingway – creative direction, photography
• Jamie Reid – art direction
• Aiden Miller – design

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Blue Weekend Chart (2021) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[42] 9 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[43] 39 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[44] 52 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[45] 96 French Physical Albums (SNEP)[46] 180 Irish Albums (OCC)[47] 3 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[48] 18 Scottish Albums (OCC)[49] 1 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 25 UK Albums (OCC)[51] 1 UK Independent Albums (OCC)[52] 1 US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[53] 34 US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[54] 25 US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[55] 19

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Blue Weekend Chart (2021) Position UK Albums (OCC)[56] 71

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[57]	Gold	100,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for Blue Weekend

Region	Date	Format	Label	Catalogue	Ref.
Various	4 June 2021	Digital download streaming	Dirty Hit	Not applicable	[58]
Australia		CD	Liberator Dirty Hit	LIB226CD	[59]
		LP		DH1058	[60]
		LP (JB Hi-Fi exclusive editions)		DH1059 DH1060 DH1117	[61]
New Zealand		CD	Universal Music New Zealand	LIB226CD	[62]
		LP		DH1058	[63]
		LP (JB Hi-Fi exclusive editions)	Liberator Dirty Hit	DH1059 DH1060 DH1117	[64]

References

1. "Wolf Alice: Blue Weekend". Pitchfork.
2. Hall, James (4 June 2021). "If you thought guitar bands were dead, brace for Wolf Alice's Blue Weekend". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
3. "Wolf Alice: Blue Weekend review – marvellous sequel to their Mercury winner". The Observer. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
4. Hayden Merrick, Evan Sawdey (24 November 2021). "THE 15 BEST INDIE POP ALBUMS OF 2021". Popmatters. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
5. "Wolf Alice review, Blue Weekend: Band are still intensely emotional, but more assured on their third album". The Independent. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
6. "Wolf Alice announce new album 'Blue Weekend'". DIY. 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
7. Richards, Will (3 May 2021). "Wolf Alice bring forward the release of new album 'Blue Weekend'". NME Asia. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
8. Hussey, Allison (24 February 2021). "Wolf Alice announce new album Blue Weekend, share video for new song: Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
9. Lavin, Will (20 April 2021). "Wolf Alice share heavy and hypnotic new single 'Smile'". NME. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
10. Skinner, Tom (11 May 2021). "Listen to Wolf Alice's delicate new single 'No Hard Feelings'". NME. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
11. "Wolf Alice share enchanting new single 'How Can I Make It OK?'". NME. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
12. "Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
13. "Reviews and Tracks for Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
14. "Blue Weekend - Wolf Alice | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
15. Classic Rock UK (July 2021). "Classic Rock UK". p. 84. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
16. "Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend : A history book-cementing document of a band at the peak of their powers". DIY. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
17. "Wolf Alice: Blue Weekend review – massive ambitions exceptionally fulfilled". The Guardian. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
18. Collins, Andrew (July 2021). "Filter Albums". Mojo. No. 332. p. 80. ISSN 1351-0193.
19. "Wolf Alice – 'Blue Weekend' review: a stone-cold masterpiece full of confidence and magic". NME. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
20. "Wolf Alice – 'Blue Weekend' review". Pitchfork. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
21. "Album reviews: Texas | James | Wolf Alice | Adam Holmes". The Scotsman. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
22. "Wolf Alice: Critics laud band's 'third and best' album". BBC News. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
23. "Best Music and Albums for 2021". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
24. "Mercury prize 2021: first-time nominees dominate shortlist". the Guardian. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
25. "Bandlabs NME Awards 2022". NME. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
26. "The 100 Best Albums of 2021". Albumism. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
27. Marshall, Dylan (17 December 2021). "The 40 Best Albums of 2021". The AU Review. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
28. "DIY'S Best Albums Of 2021". DIY. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
29. Whatley, Jack; Taysom, Joe; Golsen, Tyler; Taylor, Tom; McStarkey, Mick; Kemp, Sam (12 December 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Far Out Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
30. "Her er årets 20 bedste internationale album". Gaffa. 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
31. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (17 December 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
32. "The 50 best albums of 2021". NME. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
33. "NBHAP's 50 Best Albums Of 2021". Nothing but Hope and Passion. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
34. "Dit Zijn De 20 Beste Albums Van 2021". OOR. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
35. "The Skinny's Top Ten Albums of 2021". The Skinny. 1 December 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
36. Masterton, James (11 June 2021). "Charts analysis: Wolf Alice land first No.1 album with Blue Weekend". Music Week. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
37. Smith, Carl (23 April 2022). "Record Store Day: The Official biggest albums in record shops each year 2012-2021". Official Charts. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
38. Legaspi, Althea (25 February 2021). "Wolf Alice preview new album 'Blue Weekend' with 'The Last Man on Earth'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
39. "【Wolf Alice】4年振りの新作『Blue Weekend』の日本盤化が決定！新曲も解禁！" (in Japanese). Caroline Records. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
40. https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/wolf-alice/blue-weekend-rsd-2021%5B‍%5D. Dirty Hit. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
41. Blue Weekend (liner notes). Wolf Alice. Dirty Hit. 2021. DH01139.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
42. "Australiancharts.com – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
43. "Austriancharts.at – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
44. "Ultratop.be – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
45. "Dutchcharts.nl – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
46. "Top Albums - SNEP". SNEP. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
47. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
48. "Portuguesecharts.com – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
49. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
50. "Swisscharts.com – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
51. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
52. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
53. "Wolf Alice Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
54. "Wolf Alice Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
55. "Wolf Alice Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
56. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
57. "British album certifications – Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
58. "Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
59. "Blue Weekend". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
60. "Blue Weekend (Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
61. Blue Weekend received several transparent and colour variant releases in Australia:

    • Green Vinyl: "Blue Weekend (Limited Green Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    • Transparent Red Vinyl: "Blue Weekend (Limited Transparent Red Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    • Transparent Yellow Vinyl: "Blue Weekend (Limited Transparent Yellow Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
62. "Blue Weekend". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
63. "Blue Weekend (Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
64. Blue Weekend received several transparent and colour variant releases in New Zealand:

    • Green Vinyl: "Blue Weekend (Limited Green Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    • Transparent Red Vinyl: "Blue Weekend (Limited Transparent Red Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    • Transparent Yellow Vinyl: "Blue Weekend (Limited Transparent Yellow Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.

External links

• Blue Weekend at Discogs (list of releases)