Happy Birthday (Finn Wolfhard album)
| Happy Birthday | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by | |
| Released | June 6, 2025 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 24:39 |
| Label | AWAL |
| Producer |
|
| Singles from Happy Birthday | |
| |
Happy Birthday is the debut studio album by Canadian actor and musician Finn Wolfhard. It was released on June 6, 2025, via AWAL, in CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats.[2][3][4]
Background
The first single, "Choose the Latter", noted as a jangly indie pop song,[5] was released on March 6, 2025, alongside a self-directed music video featuring Wolfhard.[2][6] The song selection process for the album involved Wolfhard challenging himself to write fifty songs before 2022 ended.[5][7] An introspective album, Happy Birthday was produced by Kai Slater, and incorporates the musical style of lo-fi alongside elements of power pop.[8]
Promotion
The Objection! Tour
To support the album, Wolfhard embarked on "The Objection! Tour" in June 2025. The tour began on June 05 in Los Angeles, California (one day before the album's release day) and concluded on June 13 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The tour comprised a total of seven dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [8] |
| DIY | [9] |
| Kerrang! | [10] |
| Mojo | [4] |
Consequence described the album as "an album of tape-saturated indie rock that pulls from Elliott Smith, Ben Lee, Daniel Johnston, and some garage-punk loudness for good measure."[1]
Tim Sendra of AllMusic noted, "The only thing holding Happy Birthday back from being classic is its brevity and maybe lack of ambition; other than that, the quality of the songs, the impact of the vocals, the excellent production, and his ability to reference the past without aping it combine to make it a superb start for a promising solo career."[8]
Kerrang! rated the album four out of five, describing it as "only a dyed-in-the-wool music geek could have made, and that's a beautiful thing."[10] DIY, rating it three and a half stars, stated, "the nine song album offers fans a glimpse into the world of Wolfhard, all via fuzzy indie and alternative country."[9]
John Aizlewood of Mojo assigned it a rating of three stars and remarked, "The string-laden but lo-fi 'You' offers yet another direction and the result is an album that, in the best sense of the term, is all over the place."[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Finn Wolfhard.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Happy Birthday" | 1:31 |
| 2. | "Choose the Latter" | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Eat" | 1:47 |
| 4. | "Objection!" | 2:49 |
| 5. | "Everytown There's a Darling" | 1:58 |
| 6. | "Trailers After Dark" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Crown" | 4:34 |
| 8. | "You" | 2:16 |
| 9. | "Wait" | 3:44 |
| Total length: | 24:39 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[11]
Musicians
- Finn Wolfhard – lead vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 1–5, 7–9), drums (6)
- Kai Slater – electric guitar (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9), bass guitar (3)
- Cadien Lake James – bass guitar (tracks 2, 7)
- Asher Case – organ (track 2)
- Isaac Lowenstein – drums (track 7)
- Sofia Jensen – electric guitar (track 7)
- Eli Schmidt – percussion (track 7), drums (9)
- Annie Leeth – strings (track 8)
Technical
- Finn Wolfhard – production (all tracks), mixing, engineering (track 8)
- Kai Slater – production (all tracks), mixing (tracks 1–7, 9)
- Andrew Humphrey – production (track 4), mixing (1–7, 9)
- Cadien Lake James – production (track 4)
- Heba Kadry – mastering
- Ben Wulkan – engineering (track 5)
- Evan Dangerfield – engineering (track 5)
References
- ^ a b c Meredith, Kyle (June 2, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard on Solo Songwriting Experiments and Stranger Things: Podcast". Consequence. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Wescott, Andrew (March 6, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard has announced his debut solo album Happy Birthday". Dork. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Paul, Larisha (March 6, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard Previews Debut Album Happy Birthday With New Single 'Choose the Latter'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c Aizlewood, John (July 2025). "Happy Birthday". Mojo. p. 84. Retrieved June 8, 2025 – via Archive.org.
- ^ a b Gregory, Allie (March 6, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard Wishes Fans 'Happy Birthday' with Debut Solo Album, Plots North American Tour". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Rossignol, Derrick (March 6, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard Announces His Debut Solo Album With 'Choose The Latter'". Uproxx. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Duran, Anagricel (March 6, 2025). "'Stranger Things' star Finn Wolfhard announces debut solo album Happy Birthday with nostalgic single 'Choose The Latter'". NME. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c Sendra, Tim. "Happy Birthday". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Graye, Megan (June 5, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard – Happy Birthday". DIY. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Wilkes, Emma (June 4, 2025). "Album review: Finn Wolfhard – Happy Birthday". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ "Happy Birthday / Finn Wolfhard / Credits". Tidal. June 6, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.