{"id":2053070,"date":"2026-07-20T13:19:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2053070"},"modified":"2026-07-20T13:19:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:19:28","slug":"finn-wolfhard-on-his-first-post-stranger-things-album-these-songs-are-less-personal-and-more-about-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2053070","title":{"rendered":"Finn Wolfhard on his first post-\u2019Stranger Things\u2019 album: \u201cThese songs are less personal and more about characters\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard_Album.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2576840\" class=\"post-2576840 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68 featured-video-container wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"wpb_video_wrapper\">\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-ornMPPtV\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>TV Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Finn Wolfhard on his first post-\u2019Stranger Things\u2019 album: \u201cThese songs are less personal and more about characters\u201d<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The Canadian indie-rock king just dropped his new solo record, \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019, seven months on from the conclusion of the TV show that has defined his adolescence<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Alex Flood<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-20T14:19:28+01:00\">20th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_87 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_89  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_90 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_90\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>It\u2019s 37 degrees outside and the air conditioning has just broken. So when actor and musician Finn Wolfhard declares to the camera that we\u2019re in a \u201cheat-apocalypse\u201d, he\u2019s only half-joking.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the warm, muggy air wafting through <em>NME<\/em>\u2019s sweaty video studio on Denmark Street, London, the 23-year-old Canadian is in fine fettle throughout our interview. Famed for playing Spielbergian teen Mike Wheeler in Netflix\u2019s <em>Stranger Things<\/em> and for fronting several indie rock bands, Wolfhard seems pleased to be focusing on his own projects at last. In this case, that\u2019s \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 \u2013 his first new album since the sci-fi juggernaut aired its final episode on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wrote a lot of these songs last year,\u201d he says. \u201cI was experimenting with writing little stories, you know, songs that were less personal and more about people or characters.\u201d It\u2019s an approach that ties in with the DIY feel of \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 \u2013 a collection of homespun vignettes that sound like they\u2019ve been plucked, unaltered, from the mind of this unpretentious Gen-Z troubadour.<\/p>\n<p>For the latest in <em>NME<\/em>\u2019s In Conversation video series, Wolfhard dives deeper into the inspirations behind his latest release, reflects on a failed audition to play George Harrison in Sam Mendes\u2019 Beatles biopics, and updates us on his forthcoming film about Minnesota post-punks The Replacements.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955802\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955802\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard.jpg\" alt=\"Finn Wolfhard\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955802\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finn Wolfhard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Hey Finn, what have you been up to in London this week?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Finn Wolfhard:<\/strong> \u201cI went to see Gorillaz at Tottenham Stadium. That was pretty cool\u2026 Someone was telling me that it was their first headline stadium show in London and I was so shocked!\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Historically, they\u2019ve been a bit bigger in the US than in the UK\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, they\u2019ve done stadiums in Canada and the US\u2026 I think it\u2019s a multi-generational thing. Kids really love Gorillaz because of the cartoon aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Tell me about your new album \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 \u2013 the cover art looks like if Wes Anderson made <em>Barry Lyndon\u2026<\/em><\/h2>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c[Laughs] Yeah, <em>Barry Lyndon<\/em> was definitely the comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Where did the nautical outfits come from?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe English colonial-slash-pirate? This is the first record cover I\u2019ve been on, so I wanted to do something striking\u2026 The record is about how you sometimes can have two versions of yourself. You perform for people and then have your own inner life. The idea behind the cover was to have me in a duel with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Maggie\u2019 sounds a bit like \u2018Digsy\u2019s Dinner\u2019 by Oasis \u2013 who\u2019s the song about?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI just love that name\u2026 I have a few friends named Maggie [but also there\u2019s songs like] \u2018Maggie May\u2019 by Rod Stewart.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955800\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955800\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard_Fire_From_The_Hip.jpg\" alt=\"Fire From The Hip\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955800\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 album cover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Had you heard \u2018Digsy\u2019s Dinner\u2019?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cNo I hadn\u2019t. Everyone tells me that I would really like Oasis but I haven\u2019t [gone deep yet].\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Were you around LA when Oasis Live 25 came to town?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cNo, but my friend literally traveled all the way from Vancouver to Manchester to watch them. Rock music at that level with that many people going and supporting it is really cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Back to your album, there\u2019s quite a few lyrics about loneliness in there \u2013 are you OK, Finn?<\/h2>\n<p>[Laughs] \u201cYeah, I\u2019m alright. I\u2019m not lonely with all the people in this room! I guess I have a job where I\u2019m constantly traveling and meeting different people. It\u2019s really amazing to have friends in different places and be able to come in and out, but at the same time, I\u2019m living in a place for a few months and feel like I have a friend group \u2013 then have to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Let\u2019s talk about your influences on these new songs \u2013 there\u2019s a lot of country coming through?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, the band that I play with\u2026 maybe they\u2019re just folksy people. Two of them are from Kentucky, one is from Illinois\u2026 I also like listening to a lot of early Wilco and even the Stones. They have a lot of country elements to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Finn Wolfhard - I'll Let You Finish (Official Visualizer)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bVv3x4wkqjE?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h2>You last played the UK in October, at some pretty legendary venues in Glasgow\u2019s King Tut\u2019s and Electric Brixton in London \u2013 did that feel like a moment for you?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cFor sure. Those were my two favourite shows on that tour. You can feel the history there from all the bands that have played.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Are you gonna come back to the UK soon?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, for sure. I don\u2019t have any dates booked yet \u2013 but the minute I do, I will let you know.\u2026 I\u2019ve never played a British festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Have you been to Glastonbury?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I went last year\u2026. I had such an amazing time. I saw Pulp. I saw some of the best shows in my whole life. But also it was so hot! I slept in what was basically a shed with a little foam top. It was basically glamping.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Who did you go with?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cDjo [Joe Keery from <em>Stranger Things<\/em>] was playing\u2026 and a bunch of my other <em>Stranger Things<\/em> friends were there too.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955801\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955801\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard_Polaroid.jpg\" alt=\"Finn Wolfhard\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2342\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955801\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finn Wolfhard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>How did you avoid getting mobbed by fans?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t get mobbed at all. It was amazing\u2026 [There seemed to be this] unspoken thing of: \u2018OK, we\u2019re all here together, let\u2019s not bother so and so.\u2019 Also, there\u2019s always a better show to be watching \u2013 like, \u2018we don\u2019t care who you are!\u2019 So that was really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Maybe you can play next year?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThat would be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Last year, you directed your first ever music video \u2013 a stop-motion animation for George Harrison\u2019s 1973 single \u2018Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)\u2019. How did that happen?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI was really lucky because I had gotten to know the Harrisons \u2013 and was friends with [George\u2019s son] Dhani. They\u2019re such generous people and I got to go and see Friar Park [the Harrisons\u2019 30-acre estate in Henley-On-Thames. It\u2019s so beautiful and the gardens are amazing. He wrote all the best songs in that garden.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What was the idea behind the video?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI just wanted to do something pure, being such a fan of his and knowing Dhani and Olivia, something that he would be excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; width=&#8221;696&#8243; height=&#8221;392&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P0d_P11B6Tg?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1&#8243; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; allow=&#8221;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&#8221; referrerpolicy=&#8221;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&#8221; allowfullscreen=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>It consists of George and some gnomes floating down a river on a giant duck\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cHe loved his ducks! It\u2019s a reference to this music video that George did for [1979 single] \u2018Blow Away\u2019, which is him in a duck.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Is George your favourite Beatle?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt switches all the time. I think George, spiritually, is my favourite Beatle just because of what he was about and the films he produced with [his distribution company] HandMade Films and the Terry Gilliam stuff\u2026 But growing up, I thought John was amazing. And Paul was the reason I started playing music in the first place. And I love Ringo too.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What are your top three Beatles albums?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cRight now, I would say probably \u2018Help\u2019, \u2018Revolver\u2019 and, honestly, I\u2019ve been listening to a lot of \u2018The White Album\u2019\u2026. Even though every album is so different, I think in their heads they were saying: \u2018Oh, you liked the last one? Let\u2019s see how much you like <em>this<\/em> one.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Why did \u2018Stranger Things\u2019 never include a Beatles song?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere was a moment, before they chose \u2018Purple Rain\u2019 for that scene in the finale, where they were trying to figure out what it could be \u2013 and I was trying to push [for a Beatles song]\u2026 They needed two songs to go back to back, because the whole point is that it\u2019s timed to a bomb that\u2019s gonna blow up. They have to start it on the B-side, so it needed to be the perfect B-side [which is \u2018When Doves Cry\u2019 for \u2018Purple Rain\u2019], but yeah, The Beatles would have been cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3911744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3911744\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3911744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Stranger-Things-season-5-cast.jpg\" alt=\"Stranger Things season 5 cast\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3911744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Stranger Things\u2019 season 5\u2019s Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin. CREDIT: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>And one last Beatles question, are you excited for Sam Mendes\u2019 four biopics?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, totally. I honestly, legitimately am.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Did you audition for any of them?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI auditioned for George, actually. I was like, \u2018This is not gonna go anywhere, but I\u2019m gonna try my hardest\u2026 Joe Quinn got it, and fuck, he\u2019s gonna be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What scene did you have to do?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe audition was an interview that George had in the \u201860s. It\u2019s basically paraphrasing. He\u2019s very clear-headed in it. It was great.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s happening with The Replacements biopic you\u2019re co-writing with your dad?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve sent it off to the director and really, really wanna make it as soon as possible. That band means so much to me. I would love to be able to tell their story in the most cool and least <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em> way. No shade to that movie, but they\u2019re the antithesis of that kind of thing. I want to make something that\u2019s maybe a little weirder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Finn Wolfhard\u2019s new album \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 is out now<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_91 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_91\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Finn Wolfhard<\/li>\n<li>In Conversation<\/li>\n<li>Stranger Things<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_93 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_95  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_97  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_99 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_100 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_100\">\n<div id=\"tdi_100\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Mick Jagger on The Rolling Stones\u2019 future: \u201cI\u2019m already writing for the next album\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Paul McCartney: \u201cWriting a song is still a magic feeling for me, and hopefully always will be\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Kneecap on \u2018Fenian\u2019 and fighting back: \u201cWe understand that religious divide serves absolutely nobody\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Holly Humberstone: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to roll with the punches and realise that it takes time to find your feet in the modern world\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Niall Horan on his first 10 years as a solo artist: \u201cI\u2019ve stuck to my guns and that\u2019s stood me in good stead\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Leigh-Anne on going independent and her debut solo album: \u201cYou\u2019re not going to tell me the kind of artist I should be. 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So when actor and musician Finn Wolfhard declares to the camera that we\u2019re in a \u201cheat-apocalypse\u201d, he\u2019s only half-joking.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the warm, muggy air wafting through <em>NME<\/em>\u2019s sweaty video studio on Denmark Street, London, the 23-year-old Canadian is in fine fettle throughout our interview. Famed for playing Spielbergian teen Mike Wheeler in Netflix\u2019s <em>Stranger Things<\/em> and for fronting several indie rock bands, Wolfhard seems pleased to be focusing on his own projects at last. In this case, that\u2019s \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 \u2013 his first new album since the sci-fi juggernaut aired its final episode on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wrote a lot of these songs last year,\u201d he says. \u201cI was experimenting with writing little stories, you know, songs that were less personal and more about people or characters.\u201d It\u2019s an approach that ties in with the DIY feel of \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 \u2013 a collection of homespun vignettes that sound like they\u2019ve been plucked, unaltered, from the mind of this unpretentious Gen-Z troubadour.<\/p>\n<p>For the latest in <em>NME<\/em>\u2019s In Conversation video series, Wolfhard dives deeper into the inspirations behind his latest release, reflects on a failed audition to play George Harrison in Sam Mendes\u2019 Beatles biopics, and updates us on his forthcoming film about Minnesota post-punks The Replacements.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955802\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955802\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard.jpg\" alt=\"Finn Wolfhard\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955802\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finn Wolfhard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Hey Finn, what have you been up to in London this week?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Finn Wolfhard:<\/strong> \u201cI went to see Gorillaz at Tottenham Stadium. That was pretty cool\u2026 Someone was telling me that it was their first headline stadium show in London and I was so shocked!\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Historically, they\u2019ve been a bit bigger in the US than in the UK\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, they\u2019ve done stadiums in Canada and the US\u2026 I think it\u2019s a multi-generational thing. Kids really love Gorillaz because of the cartoon aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Tell me about your new album \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 \u2013 the cover art looks like if Wes Anderson made <em>Barry Lyndon\u2026<\/em><\/h2>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c[Laughs] Yeah, <em>Barry Lyndon<\/em> was definitely the comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Where did the nautical outfits come from?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe English colonial-slash-pirate? This is the first record cover I\u2019ve been on, so I wanted to do something striking\u2026 The record is about how you sometimes can have two versions of yourself. You perform for people and then have your own inner life. The idea behind the cover was to have me in a duel with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Maggie\u2019 sounds a bit like \u2018Digsy\u2019s Dinner\u2019 by Oasis \u2013 who\u2019s the song about?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI just love that name\u2026 I have a few friends named Maggie [but also there\u2019s songs like] \u2018Maggie May\u2019 by Rod Stewart.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955800\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955800\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard_Fire_From_The_Hip.jpg\" alt=\"Fire From The Hip\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955800\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 album cover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Had you heard \u2018Digsy\u2019s Dinner\u2019?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cNo I hadn\u2019t. Everyone tells me that I would really like Oasis but I haven\u2019t [gone deep yet].\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Were you around LA when Oasis Live 25 came to town?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cNo, but my friend literally traveled all the way from Vancouver to Manchester to watch them. Rock music at that level with that many people going and supporting it is really cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Back to your album, there\u2019s quite a few lyrics about loneliness in there \u2013 are you OK, Finn?<\/h2>\n<p>[Laughs] \u201cYeah, I\u2019m alright. I\u2019m not lonely with all the people in this room! I guess I have a job where I\u2019m constantly traveling and meeting different people. It\u2019s really amazing to have friends in different places and be able to come in and out, but at the same time, I\u2019m living in a place for a few months and feel like I have a friend group \u2013 then have to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Let\u2019s talk about your influences on these new songs \u2013 there\u2019s a lot of country coming through?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, the band that I play with\u2026 maybe they\u2019re just folksy people. Two of them are from Kentucky, one is from Illinois\u2026 I also like listening to a lot of early Wilco and even the Stones. They have a lot of country elements to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Finn Wolfhard - I'll Let You Finish (Official Visualizer)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bVv3x4wkqjE?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h2>You last played the UK in October, at some pretty legendary venues in Glasgow\u2019s King Tut\u2019s and Electric Brixton in London \u2013 did that feel like a moment for you?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cFor sure. Those were my two favourite shows on that tour. You can feel the history there from all the bands that have played.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Are you gonna come back to the UK soon?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, for sure. I don\u2019t have any dates booked yet \u2013 but the minute I do, I will let you know.\u2026 I\u2019ve never played a British festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Have you been to Glastonbury?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I went last year\u2026. I had such an amazing time. I saw Pulp. I saw some of the best shows in my whole life. But also it was so hot! I slept in what was basically a shed with a little foam top. It was basically glamping.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Who did you go with?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cDjo [Joe Keery from <em>Stranger Things<\/em>] was playing\u2026 and a bunch of my other <em>Stranger Things<\/em> friends were there too.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3955801\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3955801\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3955801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard_Polaroid.jpg\" alt=\"Finn Wolfhard\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2342\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3955801\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Finn Wolfhard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>How did you avoid getting mobbed by fans?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t get mobbed at all. It was amazing\u2026 [There seemed to be this] unspoken thing of: \u2018OK, we\u2019re all here together, let\u2019s not bother so and so.\u2019 Also, there\u2019s always a better show to be watching \u2013 like, \u2018we don\u2019t care who you are!\u2019 So that was really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Maybe you can play next year?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThat would be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Last year, you directed your first ever music video \u2013 a stop-motion animation for George Harrison\u2019s 1973 single \u2018Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)\u2019. How did that happen?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI was really lucky because I had gotten to know the Harrisons \u2013 and was friends with [George\u2019s son] Dhani. They\u2019re such generous people and I got to go and see Friar Park [the Harrisons\u2019 30-acre estate in Henley-On-Thames. It\u2019s so beautiful and the gardens are amazing. He wrote all the best songs in that garden.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What was the idea behind the video?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI just wanted to do something pure, being such a fan of his and knowing Dhani and Olivia, something that he would be excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; width=&#8221;696&#8243; height=&#8221;392&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P0d_P11B6Tg?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1&#8243; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; allow=&#8221;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&#8221; referrerpolicy=&#8221;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&#8221; allowfullscreen=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>It consists of George and some gnomes floating down a river on a giant duck\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cHe loved his ducks! It\u2019s a reference to this music video that George did for [1979 single] \u2018Blow Away\u2019, which is him in a duck.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Is George your favourite Beatle?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt switches all the time. I think George, spiritually, is my favourite Beatle just because of what he was about and the films he produced with [his distribution company] HandMade Films and the Terry Gilliam stuff\u2026 But growing up, I thought John was amazing. And Paul was the reason I started playing music in the first place. And I love Ringo too.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What are your top three Beatles albums?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cRight now, I would say probably \u2018Help\u2019, \u2018Revolver\u2019 and, honestly, I\u2019ve been listening to a lot of \u2018The White Album\u2019\u2026. Even though every album is so different, I think in their heads they were saying: \u2018Oh, you liked the last one? Let\u2019s see how much you like <em>this<\/em> one.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Why did \u2018Stranger Things\u2019 never include a Beatles song?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere was a moment, before they chose \u2018Purple Rain\u2019 for that scene in the finale, where they were trying to figure out what it could be \u2013 and I was trying to push [for a Beatles song]\u2026 They needed two songs to go back to back, because the whole point is that it\u2019s timed to a bomb that\u2019s gonna blow up. They have to start it on the B-side, so it needed to be the perfect B-side [which is \u2018When Doves Cry\u2019 for \u2018Purple Rain\u2019], but yeah, The Beatles would have been cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3911744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3911744\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3911744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Stranger-Things-season-5-cast.jpg\" alt=\"Stranger Things season 5 cast\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3911744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Stranger Things\u2019 season 5\u2019s Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin. CREDIT: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>And one last Beatles question, are you excited for Sam Mendes\u2019 four biopics?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYeah, totally. I honestly, legitimately am.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Did you audition for any of them?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI auditioned for George, actually. I was like, \u2018This is not gonna go anywhere, but I\u2019m gonna try my hardest\u2026 Joe Quinn got it, and fuck, he\u2019s gonna be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What scene did you have to do?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe audition was an interview that George had in the \u201860s. It\u2019s basically paraphrasing. He\u2019s very clear-headed in it. It was great.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s happening with The Replacements biopic you\u2019re co-writing with your dad?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve sent it off to the director and really, really wanna make it as soon as possible. That band means so much to me. I would love to be able to tell their story in the most cool and least <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em> way. No shade to that movie, but they\u2019re the antithesis of that kind of thing. I want to make something that\u2019s maybe a little weirder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Finn Wolfhard\u2019s new album \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019 is out now<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/tv-interviews\/finn-wolfhard-new-album-fire-from-the-hip-stranger-things-george-harrison-3955785&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Finn_Wolfhard_Album.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesTV Interviews Finn Wolfhard on his first post-\u2019Stranger Things\u2019 album: \u201cThese songs are less personal and more about characters\u201d The Canadian indie-rock king just dropped his new solo record, \u2018Fire From The Hip\u2019, seven months on from the conclusion of the TV show that has defined his adolescence By Alex Flood 20th [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2053070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2053070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053070\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2053070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2053070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2053070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}