Stranger things have happened than a Hollywood hotshot putting out strong, contemporary-sounding adaptations of classic music genres. Tim Heidecker maintains a level head, the blur of comedian, actor, and performer continuing to swell into reasonable brilliance. Finn Wolfhard, too, is trying his hand with music once more, this time as a solo act. Having never seen the show which made Wolfhard a household name, but suffering through an adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, it is preferable to think of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife star as a musician first, an actor second. Happy Birthday, his debut studio album, is a short and sharp piece of work which showcases Wolfhard as a talented musician. His songs relate to all the hang-ups of life, those doubts and desires which do not stop despite the apparent cultural or capitalist divide. Happy Birthday is a set of songs speaking the truth of the artist, and those moments appeal to the everyday.
What helps Happy Birthday more than anything is Wolfhard’s consistent desire to hear out the best music. Even if the choice is not his, be it at the suggestion of a friend like Faye Webster or in letting the song take its own form, he lets the music win out every time. It is a definite victory for the album, and, in turn, the listener. Wolfhard takes on a light guitar pop form with Choose the Latter, a lead single which defines the album’s sound. An exciting set of refreshing instrumental riffs and a slight distortion on Wolfhard’s voice, which pushes through with a pertinent message. A series of spills and thrills, gathered from the suddenness and subverted moments of life, is what comes to the forefront here. Eat has little more than a powerful drumming centre and interjections from Wolfhard, and yet it works wonders. Stylish, summery offerings are what Wolfhard offers here, and given the heat lingering in the air, it feels like a nice enough time to listen in.
A few sparse instrumental moments, like on Everytown There’s a Darling, offer a chance to hear what Wolfhard has to say. The father’s voice, the traipse through memories as an act not of nostalgia but as a place to learn from, to see the future in, is a neat touch to Happy Birthday. Those stripped-back instrumental moments offer a soft-rock, country blur and it works well. It fits the aesthetic sought, and never delves too deep into the sentimentality, the soppy structure expected of the genre. Where Happy Birthday may not have a solid core, Wolfhard works hard to present a varied sound. Slight tinges of punk-fuelled guitar on Crown is a definite highlight, though the album as a whole feels too short to leave much of a mark. Take it as a brief shot of fun, and Happy Birthday is a tremendous experience.
Breezy, easy, but still filled with the heart expected by someone creating with purpose. Happy Birthday has a replay value, a short runtime, which makes returning to the light and often enjoyable guitar tones Wolfhard sets out a delight. A thoroughly likeable piece of work which does exactly what Wolfhard sets out to chart, a series of personal experiences devoid of the detail, because that much is unimportant. What remains crucial are the moments of acceptance, of the self, of the memories at hand. This is an album with charm embedded deep in each song. Wolfhard has plenty more to prove as a songwriter and musician, but his debut album is filled with that potential, that desire for more in future.
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