Finn Wolfhard – Choose the Latter Review 

There is a contradiction which exists when listening to Choose the Latter. At the same time as expecting very little from a debut album by Finn Wolfhard, there is a level of quality which, subconsciously, must match his film and television output. Whether Choose the Latter, the lead single of his debut album, Happy Birthday, matches that quality, is up to those who have seen more than just It: Chapter One. Had Choose the Latter been of the same quality as the Wolfhard-featuring Stephen King adaptation, it would be impossible to recommend. But Choose the Latter has a niceness to it, an establishment of difficulties and expressions of dissatisfaction in the life of someone we, the ordinary person, would assume is impossible. Celebrities have their troubles; that much is not surprising. But we may find it tricky to accept the root of those problems.  

Choose the Latter explores the storm of life quite well. Wolfhard reduces the star power and cuts through as a person, not a performer. That is the very major hurdle he, like many actors-turned-musicians, must leap. It is what Timothée Chalamet managed, albeit with an adaptation of Bob Dylan. The blur of the two artistic outputs comes ever closer. Choose the Latter is a delicate and earnest piece of work from the Stranger Things star. Light indie rock with a fuzz on Wolfhard’s vocal work. Choose the Latter is a very likeable song. A slacker rock turn for an established artist, though this should be no surprise given the outlet Wolfhard had with his band, Calpurnia. Lead vocals and rhythm guitar are as second nature as a solid performance, and you get a decent blur of both on Choose the Latter. Perhaps it is the lowered expectation of hearing an actor take to the studio that gives Choose the Latter a bit more of a punch.  

A short and punchy thrill ride is what Choose the Latter offers. Borderline floaty at points, but perfect for the warmer weather now it has gripped the skies and shows no sign of stopping. Wolfhard has acknowledged somewhat the crucial, ever-moving piece of the right time for a release. Choose the Latter falls at a time when people are searching for new songs to add to their summer playlists. While Choose the Latter is far more than playlist fodder, it has all the checks needed to provide a warm, upbeat thrill, guitar solo and all. But within is a tough message, one of longing for the financial impossibility of a dream. Keep plugging away, you too can work your way through a lethal dose of coffee while writing about music. One of many dreams. Choose the Latter hopes for us to keep our eyes on our ambition, wherever it takes us. 

Tomorrow is not the responsibility of us in the present; that last line makes it clear. Wolfhard wants to keep us in the moment; even if our dreams are out there and not yet realised, it is in the here and now that we can achieve them. Deep down in the light instrumental charms, the scraping by suggestion on Choose the Latter, is a tremendous lyrical display from Wolfhard. The chute pulling notion, the hard times evacuated from, that is no way to live. No way of doing that, anyway. It is not reality. Choose the Latter suggests heading down an easier path, but there is not one present. Grin and bear it with the lighter tones, the rocker fundamentals of the guitar work here reflecting on easier times, but the lyrical contrast providing a darker edge. A thoroughly great start to a solo career with enough music history to expect a little more now Wolfhard has established his sound for Happy Birthday.