"Don't Delete the Kisses" is a song by English
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice are an English rock band from London, England. Formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo comprising singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, Wolf Alice have also featured bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey since 2012.
Wolf Alice ...
from their second studio album, ''
Visions of a Life
''Visions of a Life'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice, released on 29 September 2017 through Dirty Hit. The album received acclaim from music critics and appeared on several year-end lists, as well as winning ...
''. It was released on 5 July 2017 through
Dirty Hit
Dirty Hit is a British independent record label founded in December 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Brian Smith, and former England footballer, Ugo Ehiogu. It is currently based in West London, England. Their releases are distributed to digital platforms ...
as the album's second single.
It was the band's first single to chart on the
UK Top 100
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
(following being performed twice when the band won the 2018 Mercury Music Prize in September 2018) and the first one to chart on the main UK charts since
Bros in 2015. The track also peaked at 16 on the
Kerrang! Rock Chart in July 2017.
Release
The band announced on 3 July 2017 that they would be premiering the second single from ''Visions of a Life'' on
Beats 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...
on 5 July. The song was released to streaming services and digital download following its premiere.
In an interview with Matt Wilkinson of Beats 1, the band described the song as "the most synth-heavy tune" they've made. Lead vocalist
Ellie Rowsell
Ellen Ciara Rowsell (born 19 July 1992) is an English singer and musician from North London. She serves as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the Mercury Prize winning indie rock band Wolf Alice. Rowsell is known for her soprano voice.
Early ...
additionally stated:
"I kind of wanted to make one of those head out the window on a long drive tunes. And I wanted to try my hand at like a hold-nothing-back love song. That was my thoughts. But other than that I just kinda let it go where it wanted to go… I just think if you hold back it will sound worse won't it?". Regarding the sound of the album, they added: "I think hopefully when people hear the whole thing it won't be so all over the place. There are things that tie the 'Yuk Foo
"Yuk Foo" is a song by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice from their second studio album ''Visions of a Life''. It was released on 12 June 2017 through Dirty Hit as the album's lead single.
Background and release
On May 2017, the band start ...
s' and 'Don't Delete The Kisses' together if you know what I mean. There's hopefully something for everyone. I too struggle to define it."
In an interview with ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
'', Rowsell stated that she wanted to write a love song, but was "not going to hold back and make it discreet. I wanted to make it really obvious what I'm talking about. I was going to keep it sad, in the vein of the first couple of verses, and then I was like Nah, it's too depressing to have a love story that doesn't work out. I'm gonna Hollywood it, and make it happy."
Composition
"Don't Delete the Kisses" was characterized as a
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
,
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
,
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
,
and
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
song.
''The Line of Best Fit'' said the song "melts
krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...
-tinged rhythms with chugging dreamy-pop vibes. It's spaced-out and grand, with an unending amount of freedom and hard-hitting charm."
''Hey Nineteen'' noted that "while "Yuk Foo" encapsulates rage, "Don't Delete The Kisses" deals with reckless, youthful love," further stating that "Wolf Alice once again hurl themselves into the eye of the hurricane here, grappling with the nitty-gritty, warts-and-all realities that come with puppy-love, bringing them to life in shining, euphoric indie rock."
''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' said the song "replaces the vitriol and aggression of previously shared single "Yuk Foo" with a smouldering, surging electronic pulse which ramps up the erotic tension. This is pushed over the top by rapturous spoken-word verses and a delirious, love-drunk atmosphere."
''
Consequence
Consequence may refer to:
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior
* Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'' said "the song is a dreamy haze that sounds like a synthpop outfit caught gazing at their shoes, loops of guitars swirling around ticking percussion. Ellie Rowsell's vocals are echoing whispers on the verses and pleading calls on the chorus as she wrestles with the nettlesome doubt that comes with what passes for romance in the modern era."
''
Paste'' and ''Baeble Music'' both described the track as "light" and "dreamy," in contrast to the aggressive "
Yuk Foo
"Yuk Foo" is a song by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice from their second studio album ''Visions of a Life''. It was released on 12 June 2017 through Dirty Hit as the album's lead single.
Background and release
On May 2017, the band start ...
", with the latter publication adding: "Ellie Rowsell delivers the verses in a delicate, almost angelic way, and adds a bit more power to her voice for a chant-like chorus. That, teamed with the gentle guitars, giving the song a whimsical, shoegaze-y vibe".
Similarly, ''
Clash'' said the song "displays a slightly softer, sensual, more shoegaze-inclined methodology from the group."
Critical reception
''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' writer Rhian Daly praised the song, saying it is "in short, incredible. Its verses are like a continuation of ''
My Love Is Cool''s "The Wonderwhy", in that frontwoman Ellie Rowsell softly speaks her words instead of singing them," adding: "To call it cinematic is something of an understatement – this is super wide-screen, the sharpest technicolour, so HD you can almost see their guitar strings sparkling with each note and the air around the drums crunching with each beat. Musically, it's unlike anything Wolf Alice have done before. It's the very definition of ambitious, a shimmering, golden piece of atmospheric indie that will make you feel like you're drifting 40,000 feet above the clouds, looking down at Earth through a marshmallow patchwork."
''Hey Nineteen'' stated that the song "is more than whetting our appetites for what is shaping up to be one of the best albums of the year."
''Dork'' said the song is "obviously great", while noting that it is "a hazy departure from the epic assault of 'Yuk Foo'"
Gabriela Gurycz of ''
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
'' wrote: "Wolf Alice haven't lost any of the fragility that made their last album so special. The song is sweet if nothing more and is perfect for pining after someone you love on summer evenings."
Music video
The song's accompanying music video was uploaded to the band's
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
channel on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on 11 August 2017, and was directed by
Sophie Muller
Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...
.
The video stars Chelsea Edge and Jack Anderson as a young couple aboard the London Underground.
Charts
Certifications
References
{{authority control
Songs about kissing
2017 singles
2017 songs
Dirty Hit singles
Wolf Alice songs
Songs written by Ellie Rowsell