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.[2][3][4]
Background and promotion
The song selection process for the album involved Wolfhard challenging himself to write fifty songs before 2022 ended.[5][6] An introspective album, Happy Birthday was produced by Kai Slater, and incorporates the musical style of lo-fi alongside elements of power pop.[7] The lead single, "Choose the Latter", noted as a "jangly" indie pop song,[5] was released on March 6, 2025, alongside a self-directed music video.[2][8]
To support the album, Wolfhard embarked on The Objection! Tour in June 2025. The tour began on June 5 in Los Angeles, California, and was scheduled to conclude on September 16 in Atlanta, Georgia. Wolfhard announced fall dates for the European leg of the tour in July.[9][10] The tour comprised 23 dates in total.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [7] |
| DIY | [11] |
| Kerrang! | [12] |
| 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."[7]
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."[12] 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."[11]
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.[13]
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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Rossignol, Derrick (March 6, 2025). "Finn Wolfhard Announces His Debut Solo Album With 'Choose The Latter'". Uproxx. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ "Finn Wolfhard has announced some UK and European tour dates for October - Dork". readdork.com. July 29, 2025.
- ^ Price, Jason (July 29, 2025). "FINN WOLFHARD Announces U.S. Tour Dates For Septmber [sic] 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.