Jakob Milani
Sports Editor
jmilani@murraystate.edu
Just two years into her music career, Remi Wolf released her highly anticipated debut album, “Juno,” on Friday, Oct. 15.
The California native first appeared on American Idol in 2014 during her senior year of high school. After finishing her studies at the USC Thornton School of Music, Wolf self-released her first EP in October 2019. Now, two years later, her debut album has finally arrived after she picked up a lot of steam in 2021.
Wolf’s style is best described as a fusion between funk and pop, with many groovy baselines and plenty of poppy synths across her songs. Across the “Juno” album, Wolf shows she’s not afraid to try something new, especially with how different some of the songs sound.
The album kicks off with “Liquor Store,” one of the singles released prior to the album. From the get-go, electric guitar riffs and banging drums demand our attention. Wolf’s subject matter on the song is a bit all over the place—something that’s recurring across the album, but the catchy chorus and fun instrumental helps the listener move past that and enjoy the song as a whole. As of the writing of this article, the song is the most streamed on the album with nearly 3.5 million streams.
The following song shows influence from the person the song is actually named after, “Anthony Kiedis,” lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The chorus is super catchy on this song, and name drops the Chili Peppers, showing just how much influence the band has over Wolf’s music. The instrumental is similar to the first song with a bass line that makes you move and drums that once again demand attention.
“Wyd” is a bit of a change of style as a new acoustic guitar takes the lead, but the drums are still right in your ears. Wolf’s singing is something to be in awe of as she’s able to hit these notes that work very well. She also has a certain flow throughout the song that makes your ears perk up and listen closely to what she’s saying.
“Guerilla” takes on an electronic style, with some very groovy synths and a small bass drop here and there that gives this song a distinct difference from other songs on the album. Wolf is able to maneuver her way through the song with some catchy bars that make this song a must listen.
The fifth song, “Quiet on Set,” is a highlight of the album. With by far one of the catchiest choruses on the album and an instrumental that makes you dance along, you simply cannot go wrong with this song. The chorus discusses her wrongs in life and how much she loves being the “bad girl.” The “Debbie downer” portion of the song right before the final chorus makes you sing along with Wolf, just proving how good her pen skills are.
Wolf’s combination of synths and acoustic guitar on “Volkiano” provides one of the best instrumentals on the album. Her chorus, despite it just being her saying “volcano” over and over again, is still rather catchy just simply because of the way she delivers. The second half of the song sees a bit of a beat switch, from a funky drum set to some more modern high-hats and a very groovy synthesized guitar, making it that much more enjoyable.
“Front Tooth” is a very different track from the rest, as it takes on more of a hip-hop element. It makes sense as hip-hop producer Kenny Beats was on production for the song. The chorus name drops UFC fighter Connor McGreggor, comparing her life to getting kicked in the mouth and losing her front tooth. A different track but still an enjoyable listen.
“Grumpy Old Man” is a bit of a weird track as Wolf depicts the stereotypical grumpy old man in the chorus. Yet, it has its charm and you still feel the need to sing along with her throughout the song.
The closing track “Street You Live On” is such a great closer. It’s a simple love track, but it’s something new and refreshing from Wolf, which catches you off guard at first. But as the track goes on, you catch yourself bobbing your head and singing along with the chorus.
“Juno” by Remi Wolf is one of my favorite debut albums of 2021 so far. Her style is so different from current pop that it’s refreshing. Her writing on the album and use of guitar and drums makes the project very pleasing sonically. The album gets an 8.5 out of 10. The creativity from Wolf is something that I think many artists should look into from now on.