Wolves of Winter

"Wolves of Winter" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, and the first single from the band's seventh studio album, Ellipsis. It was released on 21 March 2016 and premiered as Zane Lowe's World Record on Beats 1.[2] It was later sent to alternative radio in the United States on 15 August 2017 as the album's sixth domestic single.[3]

"Wolves of Winter"
Single by Biffy Clyro
from the album Ellipsis
Released21 March 2016 (2016-03-21) (UK) 15 August 2017 (2017-08-15) (US)
GenreSynth pop, Alternative rock, hard rock[1]
Length4:08
Label14th Floor
Songwriter(s)Simon Neil
Producer(s)Rich Costey
Biffy Clyro singles chronology
"Victory Over the Sun"
(2013)		 "Wolves of Winter"
(2016)		 "Animal Style"
(2016)

Release and promotion

The release came after a series of teaser videos previewing small clips of the song was uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel. These videos were eventually removed on the day of release, and replaced with a lengthier preview of the song which announced the name and release date of the album.[4]

Background and concept

Lead singer Simon Neil appeared on both initial broadcasts to talk about the upcoming album and its first single. He explained how the idea for the song came from a documentary by David Attenborough which talked about the territorial habits of wolves in the wild, comparing it to his feelings towards those who had doubted his ability to succeed.[5]

'Wolves of Winter' was the first song recorded for Ellipsis, and the first song recorded with producer Rich Costey. During an interview with NME, Neil also admitted that he is excited to perform the track live, stating that it would likely serve as a show-opener for the next few years. He explained the difficulties the band faced during recording, due to Costey challenging the band to help the evolution of their music.[5] Drummer Ben Johnston elaborated on Costey's production, experimenting with recording techniques such as recording every drum piece individually and taping a microphone to Johnston's chest. Eventually they settled on sending the microphones through a Marshall amp in order to give the drums a distorted sound.[6]

Video

A music video for the song was released on 12 April 2016.[7] The concept of the video, as described by Simon Neil, "is basically the full evolution of man". The video is the first not to include the band members themselves, which Neil has said to be "a relief".[5] It features a Star Wars inspired ending, with a ship blowing up a space station.

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Scottish Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 32
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] 110
UK Rock & Metal (Official Charts Company)[10] 1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 28

References
  1. "Ellipsis Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. NME.COM. "Biffy Clyro announce new album 'Ellipsis' - hear new song 'Wolves Of Winter' | NME.COM". NME.COM. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  3. "Alternative Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017.
  4. Biffy Clyro (2016-03-21), Biffy Clyro - Wolves Of Winter (Preview), retrieved 2016-03-22
  5. NME.COM. "Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil Reveals All About New Single 'Wolves Of Winter' | NME.COM". NME.COM. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  6. "Biffy Clyro - Wolves of Winter (Drum Tutorial by Ben)". YouTube. June 30, 2020.
  7. "WOLVES OF WINTER VIDEO PREMIERE". biffyclyro.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  8. "25 March 2016 - 31 March 2016 Scottish Singles Chart – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  9. "CHART: CLUK Update 26.03.2016 (wk12)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  10. "2016-04-07 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles Archive – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  11. "Biffy Clyro Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
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