“Nice To Meet You Again,” Finn Wolfhard: Diving into “Fire From The Hip”
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Finn Wolfhard reintroduces himself through his sophomore album, Fire From The Hip. The twelve-track LP gives us new sounds, feelings, and experiences, and it is so worth the listen.
Straight away, Wolfhard opens with a twist on his signature sound with the track “I’ll Let You Finish”. It’s fun and puts a twangy spin on his classic 90’s sound, something he established in his last album Happy Birthday. This sharp sound reoccurs throughout the record, on tracks like the subsequent “Crater” and “Common Side Effects,” which also follow that period’s iconic style. “Common Side Effects” is full of energy and has a prominent baseline which helps ground us in the quick-moving song. It’s another great display of the range Wolfhard has, as the song has almost an intermission that calms us down before bringing us right back up to its fast-paced landing.
For a more in-depth review of the opening track “I’ll Let You Finish,” check out this article.
Quickly after these first two tracks, there is a stark shift in the album as it begins to take more of an indie-folk/ country rock shape. “Lights Go Down” is the first of many violin-featuring, acoustic guitar heavy songs that make up this record. I really loved the surprise of hearing this new sound coming from the young musician, as it was so different from what we’ve heard previously, not only from the beginning of this album, but since his debut album Happy Birthday. This was just the first of many surprises on this new album.
Wolfhard keeps listeners engaged through these constant switches, like with “Follow,” which comes up next on the track list. The song opens with what sounds like a ‘70’s style organ, coupled with another great steady baseline. Slowly, we build up to new sounds and instruments being added, what sounds like more electric guitars and a synthesizer. This mixture feels almost Flock of Seagulls-esque, and mixes the ‘70’s and ‘80s with the warm recording of the voices beautifully, all while using the acoustic guitar to fill that space between the instruments and the voices seamlessly. The song builds up to the chorus, using all of these instruments and sounds to bring us to the hard-hitting chorus, “No matter where you are, I’ll follow/ You’re like a shining star, I’ll follow/ No matter where you go, I’ll follow/ Deep in your heart, you know I’ll follow, I’ll follow”. Every part of this song is so strong, that having such a bold chorus, with the choir backing it seems only right. This might be one of new favorites from Wolfhard, as it perfectly showcases what he can do when experimenting, not only with instruments and sounds, but also with the addition of more people on certain songs.
Also on this track, and another surprise, is how he opts to have another prominent voice on it—something he hasn’t done previously. The song opens with Clay Frankel of Twin Peaks singing the first few lines before jumping into the chorus with the rest of the vocal crew. The different voices on this track work so well, and help strengthen the feeling of the song. Having this group of people all singing the same proclamation, “I’ll follow” makes the listener want to believe and shout it too. He makes the same decision with “Trail,” another one of the album’s highlights.
We open the song with a combination of soft guitars and even softer voices, that of Wolfhard and Lunar Vacation’s Gep Repasky. An intimate scene we get to listen in on plays, but it feels conflicting. Something about the song feels solemn, regardless of the safe feeling it creates living in this close, personal space. I think it was this blend of emotions that it evoked which made me love it even more. Every time I listen, I feel a different way, but there is always some part of me that is left with the song, in that space with them singing together.
“Oscilloscope” was a fun one to move into. After his countdown, we jump right back into bright guitars with his voice at the forefront of the song. The song itself evolves as it goes on, the guitar and drums in the back growing to sound almost like an old western film soundtrack, which seems fitting for the duel imagery surrounding the album. The lively, somewhat experimental, track acts as a great transition piece on the album while still providing listeners with a great time.
Another personal highlight of the album was “Maggie,” another playful, bright tune. Part of the appeal with this one comes from how simple it starts: just a guitar and his voice, which I believe is part of his charm because of how raw and unique he sounds. As you continue listening, elements keep getting added to move the song up even more, like the occasional electric guitar and piano accompaniment in the background. The lyrics, though, are what made this one of my favorites. The song could be taken as a nod to the old Canadian folk song, “When You and I Were Young, Maggie”. Originally written as a poem by George W. Johnson for his love, Maggie, there is some overlap in details between the poem and Wolfhard’s song. This doesn’t seem so farfetched considering that Wolfhard, himself, is Canadian. This old poem/folk song could have served as inspiration and allowed him to pay an homage to his birthplace. Since this is just speculation on the inspiration behind the fun tune, there is also the possibility that these characters and the story are totally made up by Wolfhard, or perhaps they make a reference to President Bush reading to children, because of the line “You think I love you, you read to kids just like George W./ Oh Maggie”. It’s either a crazy coincidence or a great connection to both George W.’s.. Regardless of the inspiration, it makes for an interesting and engaging listen.
Followed up by another great one, “Nice to Meet You Again” comes in hot with summery guitars and sounds surrounding it. Reminiscent of Harry Styles’ “Canyon Moon,” the sound on this one is full and playful, but works as a great way to start winding the album down. There is a break in this song that feels like a summer sunset, watching it from a porch, with fuzzy sounds and chimes in the background that push this imagery even further. We fade out of the song like fading out of one memory, and moving onto the next one.
Contradictory to the warm sounds the song has, the lyrics mention an “ice cold bedside,” a motif that carries into the next song, “Good Morning”. A piano is at the forefront here, with a warbled guitar accompanying it. That cold air from before reappears, but this time it fits the scene of the song a bit more. Singing almost in a whisper, Wolfhard gives us another intimate moment on the record. It sounds like it would make for the perfect outro song to a movie, as it lives in this sort of dream space that much of the album also inhabited.
With a strong closer, “The Climb (Not That One),” Finn Wolfhard finishes his second full-length record. Each song is a perfect one, showcasing a new element or story that displays the young musician’s talent. It’s hard to believe how creative he is already with just his second project, but I cannot wait to see what else he comes up with in the future.