Top Tracks: “Choose the latter,” “Trailers after dark,” “Objection!”
Similar Artists: Cage the Elephant, The Strokes, Phoebe Bridgers
Recent News: Will release his debut solo album, Happy Birthday, on June 6. Currently on The Objection! Tour in support of the album.
Actor-turned-musician Finn Wolfhard firmly holds his own place within music’s current wave of prominent Gen Z musical artists. One of the many stars to come from an acting background alongside the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Dylan Minnette, Wolfhard has proven to be just as diverse and exciting as an actor as he is a singer-songwriter. After extensive work with his two previous bands, Calpurnia and The Aubreys, Wolfhard is now making his mark as a solo artist with the upcoming release of his debut solo LP Happy Birthday, out June 6 through AWAL.
Maintaining a nostalgic and refreshing approach to indie rock, one similar to the likes of The Strokes or Cage the Elephant, Wolfhard’s music is as upbeat and charming as it is relatable and familiar. Back in March, the “Stranger Things” actor announced his upcoming record with the release of the album’s lead single and music video, “Choose the latter.” Wolfhard has since shared two more singles, “Trailers after dark” and “Objection!”
Largely written during 2022, Wolfhard set out to write 50 songs that year. Many of the songs featured on Happy Birthday include these songs.
“I ended up writing a lot of terrible stuff, but a few of those songs I was really proud of went to the Aubreys,” Wolfhard said in a press release for the album. “I started realizing a general theme in a lot of the other songs involving my identity, anxieties, nostalgia, childhood and loneliness. All of that was a part of a bigger puzzle. I knew I wanted to make a record, but I didn’t know with which songs.”
When it comes to balancing both his acting and musical careers, Wolfhard says music provides him with a certain emotion he doesn’t always face within acting.
“Music for me has always been something that I can control,” Wolfhard said. “And while I’m really grateful for acting and for a long time, it really provided me that peace, it’s just a different thing now that I’m an adult and that it’s a career. I still enjoy it a lot, but when I am by myself and get to play guitar and write a song, it’s a different kind of feeling I’m after.”
Happy Birthday follows an ambitious creative era for Wolfhard. Alongside releasing multiple musical projects with Calpurnia and The Aubreys, he has continued to grow within his acting career, even making his directoral debut with 2020’s Night Shifts and 2023’s Hell of a Summer. With a dedicated work ethic, the end results found within Wolfhard’s projects — both musical and otherwise — are nothing short of intentional and unique. Similar to one of his films or television projects, Happy Birthday will have listeners sticking around well after the curtains come up.
Currently, Wolfhard is on his nearly sold-out The Objection! Tour in support of the record, playing a select number of shows throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Pre-order or pre-save Happy Birthday here.
Buy tickets to see Finn Wolfhard on tour here.
Keep up with Finn Wolfhard: Instagram // TikTok // X // Spotify // YouTube // Website
