Remi Wolf - Mud

Remi Wolf trades the funky grooves of her last album for a more concise set of tracks – one that’s easy to adore.

Since 2024’s Big Ideas, Wolf has remained fairly distant from the public eye, outside of collaborating with the likes of Zedd and Thundercat. Personal upheaval has since reshaped her creative outlook. Grappling with sobriety, relentless touring, and a painful breakup, Mud came about through intimate sessions that allowed Wolf to digest the intense events she had experienced.

Opening the tracklist is “Bottle”, whose infectious melodies and vulnerable lyricism – “Can’t get the bottle if I don’t get up / I can’t get drunk if I don’t do drugs” – perfectly establish the tone for what follows. Meanwhile, “Twiggy” initially fixates on her ex-partner’s physical features, before turning its attention towards deeper issues of maternal relationships and addiction, leaving the emotional complications beneath its more immediate preoccupations.

Changing things up is “Jamie”, a partially spoken track telling a story where Wolf reflects on a relationship that has since unravelled. Once head over heels, she now finds herself “staring at the cobblestone pyramid of love and memories”, reminiscing over the moments they shared and the qualities she loved most about him. Its conversational delivery lends the track an intimate, confessional quality, capturing the bittersweet experience of looking back on a relationship that only exists in memory.

“Moon So High” is the only track that meaningfully strays away from Wolf’s established indie sound, instead embracing a sophisticated, soul-leaning arrangement with assistance from John Mayer. His vocal presence doesn’t add much to the song in the grand scheme, but the pair’s  voices collide beautifully, making for one of the album’s understated highlights.

“I Won’t Cry” is truly a heartbreaking ballad that showcases Wolf’s vocals at their most expressive. She effortlessly switches between her lower and higher range, using these shifts to emphasise feelings of sadness and anger. At her most impassioned, Wolf becomes increasingly reminiscent of Adele, bringing a newfound weight to the album’s otherwise playful sensibilities. However, “Wine Drunk” picks up the pace, borrowing influences from post-punk to inject the album with a sharper, more abrasive energy. The shift is a welcome reminder that Wolf’s appeal extends beyond her knack for infectious melodies, with the album’s heavier moments providing a welcome counterpoint to its occasional vulnerability.

To conclude, Mud is Wolf’s strongest collection of tracks yet. Her ability to maintain such a distinct sound while effortlessly incorporating new sounds across successive releases is simply remarkable. Here, that versatility is matched by a newfound emotional directness. There’s little reason to let one of pop’s most creative artists slip anyone’s radar.

8.3/10