By Mark Benjamin
Finn Wolfhard leaps into a new chapter of his music career with Fire From The Hip, a 12-track album releasing today, July 10. With a looser, punk-informed sound, Wolfhard moves decidedly into rock with a sophomore album deserving of a closer listen. His move deeper into indie rock places him in a curious lineage of actors who have pursued music on their own terms, from Macaulay Culkin’s New York band The Pizza Underground to Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds to Mars and Taylor Momsen’s The Pretty Reckless.
Inspired by the Rolling Stones, specifically Exile on Main Street and Beggars Banquet, the new album marks a hi-fi step forward, recorded at Pachyderm Studios with engineer Andrew Humphrey. Its zany album art depicts Wolfhard in an 18th-century duel with himself, rendered as if on a page from an illuminated manuscript. In the following interview, Wolfhard recalls his early influences as a musician, listener, and concertgoer, from punk and pop-punk shows to the collaborative energy that informs Fire From The Hip. He also dives into how his band formed and what he aims to bring to the road this year.
The artwork for 'Fire From The Hip' reflects the album's playful, rock-inspired spirit. Courtesy the artist.
Mark Benjamin: Fire From The Hip feels like a fully realized rock record. How did you first get into music, and how did that path lead from Happy Birthday to this record?
Finn Wolfhard: I first started playing at an early age and became obsessed with music. I gravitated toward rock music the most and also punk… I had a pop-punk phase.
Tell me more about that.
My music taste has had a kind of natural progression where I started with iconic bands like the Beatles and then pop punk acts like Blink-182 and even the original punk rockers, the Buzzcocks.
I come from a very music-forward family. My parents met by going to the same shows, so shows and music have always been in my life. When I was fourteen or fifteen, I put out my first record with my band, Calpurnia. From the opportunities afforded to me by my acting career, I was fortunate to land a record deal, and now I’m continuing that work as a solo artist.
No less impressive.
It’s something I’m passionate about that I’ve worked hard at for a few years. My backing band opened for me on last year’s Happy Birthday tour, and we had a great time on the road. So, we wanted to take that vibe, that energy from the shows, and transform it into a fun record.
So, the good vibes from your first live shows have been squeezed into this second album. Now, I really want to go. Describe what it’s like.
Shows in general are inspiring to me. When I was young, my dad and I would go to shows together in Vancouver, where I’m from. A lot of bands would skip over Vancouver on tour, so we’d have to drive to Seattle to see them play. I remember seeing the Front Bottoms and this New York punk band called the So So Glos.
At that really young age, I just remember the energy. It was so entertaining, but you could also feel the guys blowing off some steam and having a good time together. My favorite shows are the ones that bring the audience into that bubble and make the night feel as fun as possible.
There’s something special about intimate performances.
I saw Gorillaz in London recently and they were amazing. It was a huge stadium show, but they somehow made it feel totally intimate at the same time. Great quality to have in a band.
Who are your bandmates?
There are a few people, like my friend Garrett, who plays keys. It’s a tight-knit, really talented group, mostly made up of the backing band from my first tour. They were called The Slaps.
That’s cool. Selena Gomez had the Scene and Finn Wolfhard had The Slaps.
It’s big. Sort of like how Neil Young had Crazy Horse.
What are you looking forward to most on this tour?
Super looking forward to the shows! We’re doing the East Coast first where we’ll play at some cool, kind of classic, clubs and theaters like the 9:30 Club in DC and Webster Hall in New York, which I’ve never been to but is legendary.
For some reason, in older venues, the floor bounces.
It bounces?
I think it does. Might be in my head.
That happens because a lot of older venues were ballrooms or dance halls, so they have built-in springs. In Vancouver there’s a venue called the Commodore Ballroom, which we’re playing, and it’s exactly like that.
It’s bouncy, so I’m excited. I hope people will bounce.
It brings an immersive aspect to the experience.
Totally.
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Listen to Fire From The Hip on all streaming platforms.
Tour dates are listed below.
