2025 Mercury Prize Wolf Alice - ‘The Clearing’ 

After being shortlisted four times, does the Mercury Prize feel intrinsically linked with your story so far? On paper, Wolf Alice know better than anyone what a ‘Mercury Prize album’ is.
Growing up, it always seemed like the important one that represented me, my tastes and my clan. There aren’t many forums that put a spotlight on left-field, alternative music in such a profound way.

What comes to mind when you look back on ‘The Clearing’?
A sense of freedom. We’d all watched that Beatles documentary [‘Get Back’] and were keen to try working like that… sat around with acoustic guitars. 

How did the first signs of the world of ‘The Clearing’ come into existence?
It was process-driven, because it felt good to focus on the basic building blocks of songwriting. We often think about production alongside songwriting, and this was very different, ‘let’s strip this down, [like they did] in the ’60s and ‘70s, when bands were the popular music of the day’.

What felt so good about that approach?
It felt almost like when me and Ellie [Rowsell, vocals] were an acoustic duo, to begin with. It’s what we used to do in her bedroom as teenagers.

Does the concept of this ‘Clearing’ represent a snapshot, period or ongoing process?
For me, ‘The Clearing’ is a brief acceptance of where you are at that given time, and not running away from it. Maybe it hints at a destination down the road, or maybe it’s a practice. It’s a very murky idea.

Do you feel a sense of closure or unfinished business with the world of ‘The Clearing’?
Playing things live to absolute death is always how I forge a very deep connection with them. I can’t give too much away, but there may be more in ‘The Clearing’ world to come. I think we’re still in the weeds of it. It’s a real sad thing about the modern age that you can’t road test material anymore, because everyone’s got a camera-phone. You can’t develop in plain sight anymore, which is a shame.

Do you feel proud of ‘The Clearing’ in a different way to its predecessors?
I like this one a lot more than the others. I was convinced that ‘Blue Weekend’ was going to be the end of us. I really like it now, but we worked ourselves into the ground making it. I’m still getting to know ‘The Clearing’ in a way that maybe wasn’t the case with the others. I’m interested to see how it will inform future work.

DIY has teamed up with LNER - the Official Travel Partner of the 2025 Mercury Prize Newcastle - to celebrate the power of journeys, both musical and literal. Read our full 2025 Mercury Prize Newcastle special edition below. 

Tags: Features, Wolf Alice