Finn Wolfhard Happy Birthday
Finn Wolfhard's Happy Birthday arrives as a distinctly personal, nostalgia-tinged collection that finds the actor-turned-songwriter staking out a lo-fi, garage-pop corner of his own. Across five professional reviews critics note a growing songwriting identity rooted in childhood memory, anxiety, and Beatles-tinged melodies, and the consensus score of 75/100 across 5 reviews frames the record as a promising, enjoyable debut rather than a fully finished statement.
Reviewers consistently point to several standout tracks as evidence of Wolfhard's instincts. “Choose the latter” is repeatedly praised for its breezy, road-ready immediacy, while “Objection!” and “Eat” earn attention for their pulsing choruses and playful, Weezer-like riffs. Critics singled out “Crown” and the quieter “You” for moments of tenderness and grungy centerpieces; these songs emerge as the best songs on Happy Birthday in multiple write-ups. Professional reviews highlight the album's cassette-warmth, DIY charm, and pop-punk and grunge influences, crediting Wolfhard with idiosyncratic songwriting that balances adolescent neuroses with melodic ambition.
Not all coverage is exhaustive or uniformly effusive, and some outlets offer only modest approval, yet the critical consensus suggests that Happy Birthday is worth listening to for its hooks and personality. For readers asking whether Happy Birthday is good, reviewers agree it represents a credible first step and a record that points to clearer artistic growth ahead. Below, the full reviews unpack the standout tracks, thematic threads, and the record's place in Wolfhard's evolving songwriting trajectory.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Objection!
2 mentions
"“And what did I do / To make me hate you so much?”"— Paste Magazine
Eat
2 mentions
"Eat’s rackety riffs (like a Weezer rehearsal recording)"— Kerrang!
Choose the latter
3 mentions
"Choose the latter’s breezy road trip-ready vibes"— Kerrang!
“And what did I do / To make me hate you so much?”
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Happy Birthday
Choose the latter
Eat
Objection!
Everytown there's a darling
Trailers after dark
Crown
You
Wait
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In this review Andy Crump hears on Happy Birthday a clear, unfussy charm that makes the best songs stick. He points to “Crown” as a highlight for its anti-ego tenderness, and praises the liveliest bop “Eat” for its pulsing chorus and clapping snare. Crump also singles out “Objection!” for sharpening emotional accountability rather than indulging blame. Overall the record reads as a summer-ready, sentimentally minded collection that showcases Finn Wolfhard's instincts and influences without pretense.
Key Points
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“Crown” is best for its anti-ego tenderness and catchy anxiousness against upbeat tempo.
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The album’s core strengths are its easygoing, nostalgic garage-rock energy and honest, sentimental songwriting.
Themes
Critic's Take
You might be questioning why Finn Wolfhard is releasing music, but on Happy Birthday the best songs - notably “Choose The Latter” and “Objection!” - make a persuasive case for his devotion to lo-fi indie charm. Graye writes with a conversational, slightly amused tone, praising how “Choose The Latter” "urgently bursts in" like "the relief of a cold drink on a hot day" and how “Objection!” evokes "sandy toes and bbqs" to show the album's strongest moments. The quieter cut “You” reveals a softer, Juno-like sweetness, while tracks like “Crown” hint at growing pains, making these best tracks on Happy Birthday both the album's highlights and its proof of potential.
Key Points
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“Choose The Latter” is the album’s best song because it bursts in with urgent, refreshing energy and vivid imagery.
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The album’s strengths are its youthful, vintage-tinged indie songwriting and moments of sweet vulnerability, balanced by uneven production choices.
Critic's Take
In this account Darryl Sterdan treats Finn Wolfhard's Happy Birthday as a clear coming-into-focus, praising the dizzying rush of nine songs as evidence of a budding style and voice. Sterdan leans on the album's recurring concerns - identity, anxieties, nostalgia, childhood and loneliness - to explain why tracks like “Happy Birthday” feel like the seeds of something larger. He writes with measured approval, framing the record as an accomplished step forward and the start of a specific songwriting trajectory.
Key Points
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The best moments work because they reveal a nascent, coherent voice and memorable melodies.
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The album's core strengths are its thematic honesty and evidence of songwriting evolution.
Themes
Ke
Critic's Take
Finn Wolfhard's debut, Happy Birthday, reads like the work of a dyed-in-the-wool music geek, proudly idiosyncratic and a little wonky. The reviewer leans into the album's cassette-warmth and rockier moments, highlighting “Choose the latter” as breezy and road-ready and “Eat” for its rackety, Weezer-like riffs. They single out “Crown” as the grungy centrepiece that simply oozes cool, while the warped title-track introduces his imperfect charm. For anyone asking what the best songs on Happy Birthday are, the review points squarely at these three as standouts, praised in the same slightly nerdy, affectionate tone throughout.
Key Points
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The best song is "Crown" because it acts as a confident, grungy centrepiece that oozes cool and ties the album's influences together.
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The album’s core strengths are its warm, unvarnished cassette production, affectionate geekiness, and clear rock/grunge influences.