erin's artist of the month: remi wolf

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Generally, the traits that define a great artist for me are often traits I do not possess. For example: good hair, stage presence, and the ability to dance without resembling a cow who is in the process of escaping an abattoir. Sometimes this leads me to think about the merits of separating the art from the artist, a phrase which is very often tossed around nowadays. But does the music not sound so much better when you know they’re wearing cool clothes? Look at the drip Mozart was decked out in, for example - no way would he have written “Fra Cento Affanni” without the aid of a cravat (truly the sexiest menswear item). 

ID: Remi Wolf holding her face, with very cool finger nails/eye makeup (credit: Alma Rosaz)
My artist of this month, with an equally enviable wardrobe and all of those traits I mentioned previously, is Remi Wolf. Remi Wolf went viral on TikTok in 2020 with the single ‘Photo ID.’  At the time, I was sleeping for 16 hours a day, blowing the fuses of my house with my mum’s bread maker (manufactured in 19-whenever-the-fuck), and going mildly viral on Tumblr (is this a brag? That’s up to you). Needless to say, the song represents a pretty good time in my life! Who doesn’t like a little spoken word bridge? This remained the only song in my extensive (boast) Spotify library until early this year. I was then enlightened in an experience akin to discovering God when I then came across her debut album, Juno – the deluxe version; I’m not an animal. I will give you some context in that I am very much an acoustic enjoyer, but it doesn’t take much for me to be convinced otherwise. (If you haven’t been following my articles and don’t already know this, rude of you, by the way). Juno was absolutely more than enough to switch me over. The pure vibes on this stunner of an album have granted it a place on my highly selective favourite album list.  

My favourite tracks from this 58-minute orgasm include “Sexy Villain,” “Front Tooth,” “wyd,” and the very popular “Liz.” However, not mentioned on this list are “Street You Live On” and “Michael,” purely because I think they sound absolutely phenomenal live. Although they are great in their studio-recorded format, they simply aren’t given the justice they deserve until you hear Wolf screaming ‘shut the fuck up!’ into your face from the stage (hot). A good recording of “Michael” live at Webster Hall can be found on YouTube, and the rawness of Wolf’s voice really comes through, which I love listening to. “Street You Live On – live” is actually already on Juno (Deluxe), so you don’t even have to search! (So considerate of her, to be honest.) The trumpets used on the recording of “Street You Live On” are a very sexy touch. Nothing gets me going like a good brass section. 

ID: Remi Wolf (credit: @remiwolf insta)
‘But does Remi Wolf have anything else going for her?’ I hear the voices ask. Don’t be so pessimistic, I say! Her version of Paramore’s “You First” is an absolutely wonderful listen, and “Prescription” (the extended version; don’t complain, you’ve given up more of your time for worse things than a long song), which was released this year, has enough trumpets to keep me very satisfied. The breakdown is such an all-consuming auditory experience that it makes me want to join a gospel choir and commit myself to a deity. Something about the way the piano gets whacked about in this track is so gratifying, and the feelings I get when listening to this song rival the all-consuming pleasure I experience when nibbling a self-assembled ham and cheese toastie like a demented mouse finding pills in the corner of a mental asylum post-night out. 

In conclusion, I am very tempted on a weekly basis to get my hair permed just to feel something, and Remi Wolf is a gorgeous individual with great tracks and a debut album to die for. If this wasn’t enough for you, she’s opening for Olivia Rodrigo on part of her UK tour, so all of you SOUR girlies get to see her anyway! Never skip the opening act, comrades, for the tunes are often great, and you get to subtly dominate your friends with how fun, unique, and special your music taste is afterwards (because you can definitely afford to be more obnoxious, University of St Andrews student).  

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