Wolf Alice return with “The Sofa,” the second single from their upcoming fourth studio album The Clearing, arriving August 22. The track arrives with a wistful yet vivid music video directed by Fiona Jane Burgess, which shows frontwoman Ellie Rowsell gliding across town on a sofa — a symbolic ode to the comfort of stillness amid chaos.
Emotionally nuanced and lyrically tender, “The Sofa” captures the quiet introspection that follows life on the road. “It’s about not trying so hard to figure everything out,” Rowsell explains. “Reflecting on getting older, on what’s happened or hasn’t, and learning to find peace in the ordinary.”
The single follows “Bloom Baby Bloom,” the upbeat lead track released in May. While “Bloom” embraced wide-eyed optimism, “The Sofa” shifts inward — offering a contrast that showcases the band’s evolving sonic palette. Rowsell’s vocals glide over dreamy guitar work and warm production courtesy of Greg Kurstin, known for collaborations with Foo Fighters and Adele.
Rowsell also shares a relatable anecdote that inspired the track’s tone: the comfort of rewatching Peep Show for the thirteenth time, instead of chasing newness. It’s a metaphor for embracing calm, even if it doesn’t always feel glamorous.
The Clearing is the British rock band’s follow-up to 2021’s Blue Weekend, an album that earned them critical acclaim and BRIT Award nominations. With this new release, Wolf Alice seem poised to dive deeper into mature storytelling, capturing both the surreal highs of fame and the grounding nature of everyday life.