There is no mistaking that ‘Hickey’ is Royel Otis at their most self-assured. Their time playing live over the past two years has allowed them to find the recipe for building back-to-back summer anthems, guaranteed to bring a feel-good vibe to any occasion. And while there is an admirable quality to focusing solely on their biggest strengths and bringing their laid-back Aussie charm to the forefront, we can’t help but question if slightly more hunger to push the boundaries would add a greater sense of depth to an otherwise satisfying album.

(NME)

So, the challenge I guess for record number five, was whether they could keep their intensity, are they still crazy after all these years?

Well, any doubts about that are declared null and void within seconds of the opener ‘The Fall Of Cashline’, which roars into life as Derrick rails against the world, and there’s a glowing familiarity about it, the passing of time has not seen them mellow, if anything there’s an extra steeliness about them, the shuddering riff building to a crescendo which heralds their return perfectly. There was nothing to worry about. (…)

God, it’s so good to have this unique entity back. No-one does it quite like Prolapse do it.

(God Is In the TV)

Mit einer Stimme wie der von Jane Penny blieben sowieso nur Dream-Pop oder ASMR übrig, wollte man nicht den samtweichen, an Prefab Sprout und Co. geschulten Pastell-Pop machen, den Tops schon seit einer Weile äußerst versiert praktizieren. "Bury the key" entstand in einem Studio, das laut Aussage der Band den Vibe eines Finanzamts aus den 70ern versprüht, doch scheint dem Album die Sonne so sehr aus jeder Pore, dass es auch mitten auf einer kalifornischen Strandpromenade eingespielt worden sein könnte.

(Plattentests)

And therein lies the real beauty of ‘The Clearing’: after over a decade growing together as a band, this fourth album sees Wolf Alice fully embrace all facets of themselves, and through this newfound acceptance and confidence, they’ve produced their boldest, most striking record yet. One for the history books.

(DIY)

‘The Clearing’ is the kind of album that could only be written after the dust has settled on your twenties and the post-30 clarity sets in. It is, as ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ and ‘The Sofa’ affirm, a record that doesn’t gloss over flaws, but accepts them and revels in them (“Don’t want a dish without salt / Bread without butter / If it’s bad for me, good, I feel bad suits me better,” Rowsell sings on the former). Just as we all (hopefully) get older and wiser with every year, Wolf Alice are the kind of band that keep on getting better with every record, and here, they raise the bar on themselves once again.

(NME)

MAGIC OF THE SALE zeigt vielmehr, dass viele ihrer Songs anschlussfähig für Americana und Indie-Rock sind. „Holy Water“ scheppert sogar richtig, hier klingt der Noise-Rock alles andere als kraftlos. „Anywhere“ hingegen weist eine müde und fragile Note auf.

Andere Stücke sind wiederum gelöster, manche erinnern an Bright Eyes, zumindest was die Instrumentierung angeht. Während Conor Oberst (auf dessen Label die Band 2023 schon eine Single veröffentlichte) früher lauthals jammerte, gehört zu den Markenzeichen von Teethe eher ein dezidiert leiser und demonstrativ zurückhaltender Gesang: Madeline Dowd und die drei Männer flüstern mehr, als dass sie singen. Ihre neuen Lieder deklinieren Schmerz, widmen sich aber auch dessen Linderung.

(musikexpress)