Finn Wolfhard - Happy Birthday

You might be questioning why Finn Wolfhard is releasing an album, but hey, stranger things - ahem - have happened. In fact, it seems to be a running theme for stars of the hit show, with Djo having made a (very successful) go of it too. Puns aside, the 22-year-old actor and musician (who’s also in bands Calpurnia and The Aubreys) is no one-trick pony - and this debut solo record, ‘Happy Birthday’, proves it.

Beginning slowly with the muffled, strange, spoken title track, the nine song album offers fans a glimpse into the world of Wolfhard, all via fuzzy indie and alternative country. Despite a somewhat slow start, second number ‘Choose The Latter’ urgently bursts in with the relief of a cold drink on a hot day, while the catchy ‘Objection!’ - a beachy and American offering - evokes the feeling of sandy toes and bbqs on the beach. It all has a vintage feel to it, too, with hints of Faces’ guitar strumming styles, but that’s combined with a more modern approach; here, Wolfhard could be a cousin of Alex G or MJ Lenderman, but with the energy of UK band C Turtle. The stripped back ‘You’, meanwhile, shows another side to young Wolfhard, with a distinct feeling of the Juno soundtrack about it - all sweet innocence, accentuated by Annie Leeth’s string arrangement. Unfortunately, things seem to go a little awry on ‘Crown’, in which heavy vocal distortion and repetitive melodies make the song feel filler-esque.

According to Wolfhard, the short and stout album collectively addresses his own “identity, anxieties, nostalgia, childhood and loneliness”. And, to be fair to him, this self-exploration is nestled within a lightness and simplicity which mostly feels youthful and endearing. When it comes to his work as a musician, though, it seems Wolfhard still has some growing to do.