Lives up to its name

Review Score:

B+

July 11 / 2024 –

It’s been a good handful of months if you’re chronically online and interested in the current array of pop queens. Charli xcx dropped her best album yet last month. Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are topping the charts. And today, a day which will go down in history, both Clairo and Remi Wolf have released albums. Taylor Swift is pacing back and forth on her private jet right now, foaming at the mouth to drop another version of “Fortnight”. 

Remi Wolf’s debut album was excellent. Right out of the gate, Remi seemed to have a fully formed sense of identity and sound. The songs were laced with her own brand of quirkiness. Vocally, Remi Wolf demonstrated an impressive range and mastery. Juno felt like a scattershot of catchy songs. Much like the music video for “Guerilla”, it was as if Remi dipped a paintbrush into an array of colors and splattered it across the wall in a grand, chaotic, exciting rainbow. 

Big Ideas, Remi Wolf’s sophomore album, turns out to be aptly named. This project seems to be an attempt to take all those colors and styles and reign them in without losing any of that vibrant appeal (at least in theory). 

The front half of this project is loaded with bangers. The opening track (and lead single), “Cinderella” is exactly the kind of groovy song Remi fans have come to expect. The hook, “me and the boys in the hotel lobby”, has been stuck in my head for months. “Soup”, is a synth heavy track that opens up into an explosive chorus. And “Motorcycle” brings the lights down for a moment, allowing Remi to really show off the subtleties of her voice. 

“Toro” is another one of the album’s singles, which are all sequenced in the album’s first half (for better or worse). This one, like “Cinderella”, has a strong hook and a solid groove to it. After track 5, we’re fresh out of singles. And with all fresh tracks from here on out, the album is still generally strong. Is it as loaded as Juno? Sadly, I think not. But does it still have a lot to offer? Yes. Remi Wolf’s voice elevates each and every style and genre she dips into. She could get away with less, but she still makes use of interesting and experimental sounds. “Frog Rock” and “Wave” both have their share of weird and exciting elements to them that keep the album experience fresh. Her writing is energetic and fun. And the production across the whole album is strong (most of which she did herself, with occasional help from frequent collaborator Solomonophonic, and Ethan Gruska). 

Big Ideas actually shares a lot of similarities with Juno, in a way. There is still a wide range of musical ideas here. But they feel more grounded and uniform, with organic instrumentation and more traditional song structures. On Big Ideas, Remi Wolf dodges the sophomore slump and delivers another collection of fun, funky songs well worth the listen.

Review Score:

B+

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.