With their debut, My Love Is Cool, Wolf Alice established themselves as one of the most exciting new acts on the British music scene. Now, two years on, they’re back with the highly anticipated follow up, Visions Of A Life, ready to take on the big number one.

With the dusty grit of an opening, Wolf Alice slowly let us enter the new sonics of their world. Still embracing the tangy grove and firm percussion that we’ve learned to associate with Wolf Alice, opener Heavenward blooms with a newfound flare. The swooning chorus and cosmic thrill of the track channel a more grown energy than the adolescent of their debut, and so far, it’s not wrong.

Second up is the erupting, Yuk Foo. A delirious lashing-out against anything that may frustrate you. The exhilarating rage-rush and savvy attitude make a delirious combination. Reeking of bombastic confidence, Ellie Rowsell snarls and growls: “You bore me, you bore me to death.” Despite the rage, the nerve of angst that Wolf Alice so often hint towards lyrics is still well present. It’s a confidence anthem with a very real message.

Yuk Foo certainly stands as a contrast to the following Beautifully Unconventional, yet the rock ’n’ roll persona is well and truly present throughout. Guitarist Joff Oddie’s ability to tangle the melody around, keeping it firm yet deliciously playful is a quality that spills across the album’s twelve tracks, and certainly manifest why Wolf Alice are spoken of as such a dominating guitar band.

The cosmic of the album works almost like short stories. The varied nature reflects their unconventional approach to genre and songwriting and opens up for a diverse record, much like their debut in that sense. The dazed terrain of Planet Hunter evokes a spacious sensation with the reverb-soaked guitar track and layered sonics.

The slick riff and bouncy energy of Formidable Cool immediately reflects a ballsy vibe. The lingering darkness of the bass track and danger drums underline the daring lyrics, and if the melody wasn’t enough, Ellie savagely mourns: “That’s all he fucking did when he fucked you on the floor!”

The marvelling bass work of Theo Ellis and Joel Amey’s palpable rhythms align and enhance each other, building the foundation needed to carry such a varied album with a combination of intricacy and immediacy.

Despite the gloom of the title, the beat of Sadboy is a brilliantly bright juxtapose to the bleaker lyrics. The change of pace still impends a thunder looming under the seemingly safe surface of the track.

Rounding off the record is title-track, Visions Of A Life. The epic eight-minute song underlines every quality of the album from grand stoic guitar work, haunting vocal tracks to the encompassing the sense of absorption and escapism. The bass line shines as the final touch, filling out the undertones with a perfect lurking gloom.

Bolder and braver, yes, but is it better? Visions Of A Life certainly takes a leap forward in terms of daring directions, yet whether it does indeed overshadow the debut is a different question. Visions Of A Life is an immense second album in its own right, and once again reinforce Wolf Alice status as one of Britain’s best bands.