10 Best Rock Album Closers Of The 2020s (So Far)
8. The Beach II - Wolf Alice (Blue Weekend)
Bookending an album with two parts of the same song can be a great way to lend a sense of cohesion to a project.
Wolf Alice kind of did this with their songs The Beach and The Beach II, only they didn't sound anything like each other. Close, but no cigar.
Not to worry, because both songs are great in their own way and both serve as fantastic additions to one of the best British albums of 2021. The indie sensation's third record, Blue Weekend, was received well by the public and the critics, winding up with a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize.
They didn't win, but it's the taking part that counts.
The Beach II frames its titular location as a sort of safe haven from the rest of the world, either entirely seriously or with an ironic twist. Either interpretation fits the swirling, dreamy music that accompanies Ellie Rowsell's honey-like vocals, as she sings about being with her girls in this mysterious place.
Whilst it may not end with a bang, Blue Weekend goes out with a flourish that is dinstictly Wolf Alice, and that's no bad thing.