Alpha Wolf have chased the bushy tail and bristling whiskers of “Akudama” with the release of their newest single, “Creep”. It’s the second single released from the band’s upcoming sophomore album, a quiet place to die which lands on 25th September via Greyscale Records/Sharptone Records.
Given the song didn’t come with the jaw-droppingly impressive visual splash that “Akudama” leapt out at the world with, it has admittedly taken this writer some time to get to know “Creep”. Similar to how I took in Fault with my review – saying that “I wasn’t sure if it was a savage push-back or a self-hate riddled attempt to be bluntly honest with oneself” – there is both audible defense and hardness at the same time that “Creep” reveals a vulnerable catharsis. Even the song’s title could be a stab at another or reflect the slow forward crawl.
“Creep” comes across as a chronological reflection of enduring the worst, and there unfortunately being no timely arrival of a rescue squad. Vocalist Lochie Keogh describes “Creep” as thematically centring around “frustrations and betrayals faced growing up attending and playing shows in the heavy music scene.” Cast out and enduring the experience, the song sounds as unstable as how it may feel, and the listener is tossed about in waves of riffage while drum beats rain down.
Again referring to my experience with Fault, I’d craved more emotion via the vocals at the time. Hearing Lochie’s desperate cries of “I’m on the edge of a knife, no stranger to the bleed” in “Creep”, it’s undeniably a raw and vulnerable moment, one that’s only enhanced by the (shortlived) paring back of the instrumentation.
The high and sharpened signature Alpha riffs are here in “Creep”, especially when the battered endurance turns into defiant acceptance; owning this life as an outcast and embracing the fact that people are actually generally disappointing. Stomping and with an edge of recklessness, Alpha Wolf as an entirety are embodying the statement:
“Nothing to lose but faith in you”
Darkened and alone at the song’s bridge, the scene is painted of doubt, and it reeks of a rock-bottom crash. Under pressure and still moving forward anyway (“Creep along”), the crash is lifted by a riff that comes across as triumphant, as well as the gang vocals that add to the unified vibe. Rhythmic cascades urge forward, where the mood is more confrontational than suffering. Reiterating the disappointment in people, the lens is focused upon bands and where loyalties lay, demanding answers.
Ending with an ass-kicking breakdown, the instruction to “Sleep with one eye open” could be a reminder to be careful who you trust, or be a threat of sorts toward those who intend to deceive. There’s a lot going on in “Creep”, and themes aside, it also practically promises to go off in a live setting, when we return to gigs sometime in.. 2030? 😐
Watch “Creep” below via YouTube if you can stomach Third Eye Visuals’ creepy eyeball imagery, and remember that a quiet place to die can be pre-ordered now at alphawolfcvlt.com.
[Alpha Wolf photo by Daniel Anderson]
