and singled out the "phosphorescence" of "Hesperus" and "NRR"'s "spidery tangle of rural mores and garage grooves" as evidence of Wolf People's "modernist witchery". Ruins RecordingRuins was recorded in studios in Devon, the Isle Of Wight and London. The band attempted to "remove at least some of [their] folkiness" and, according to singer Sharp, were heavily influenced by the music of Black Sabbath, "early UK hard rock" and Scottish band Iron Claw while writing songs for the album. As the four band members live in different parts of the United Kingdom, communication was mostly done via the internet, with Sharp, Hollick, Davies and Watt "sharing stuff [they] like" along with song ideas. The band attempted to capture the "magic and excitement" of them playing together so, unlike their previous albums and with the exception of the track "Ninth Night", avoided the use of overdubs where possible. The album title refers to the "ruins of civilisation" and Sharp's lyrics try to imagine "what the world might be like without humans". Critical receptionRuins received mostly positive reviews, achieving a score of 78 on Metacritic based on 8 reviews, denoting a "generally favourable" response from critics. Many reviewers commented on the fact that Ruins was a 'heavier' album than its predecessors, with Uncut's Joe Anderson stating that its tracks are "sharply focused and blessedly heavy" in comparison with the band's earlier work, which he felt were "sometimes blighted by a weakness for jammy indulgence". Writing for Classic Rock, Jo Kendall said that Wolf People sound "decidedly fucked off" on the album, citing Ruins opening trio of "dirty, Vertigo-style garage-rock belters". The Guardian's Michael Hann similarly commented on the record's combination of pastoral folk music and metal, claiming that "if Fairport Convention had preferred Black Sabbath to Bob Dylan, they might have sounded like this". Hiatus Citing "the geographical distance between us and increased personal and family commitments", the band announced an indefinite hiatus in January 2020. Band members Jack Sharp – lead vocals, guitar (2005–2020) Joe Hollick – guitar (–2020) Dan Davies – bass (c.2007–2020) Tom Watt – drums (c.2007–2020) Discography Studio albumsTidings (2010)Steeple (2010)Fain (2013)Ruins'' (2016) Singles "Silbury Sands" / "Dry" (Jagjaguwar JAG189), 2011 "When The Fire Is Dead in the Grate" / "Become The Ground" / "All Returns" / "All Returns Part II" (Jagjaguwar JAG248), 2013 Footnotes References Bibliography Musical groups established in 2005 English psychedelic rock music groups Jagjaguwar artists