Remi Wolf has spoken to NME about her “gritty, emotional” third album ‘Mud’, as well as her viral appearance in romantic drama Off Campus and the chances of a collaboration with Hayley Williams.
Following two funk-driven albums of party-starting alt-pop (2021’s ‘Juno’ and 2024’s ‘Big Ideas’), Wolf wanted to change things up for album three. “My first goal was that I wanted to be able to play every song on an acoustic guitar around a campfire, and it still hit you in the gut,” Wolf told NME from a hotel room overlooking New York City. “And because of that, the songs just ended up feeling more confident.”
The Californian artist also teamed up with people she trusted – regular collaborator Jared Solomon, long-time friend Jack DeMeo, and friend and sister-in-law Gigi Grombacher – to create ‘Mud’, which she described in a press release as a “very cleansing record” to make.
“I wanted to write songs about the way I was feeling, and I needed to heal,” she told NME. “I wanted to do that surrounded by people that felt like home to me, because I’m happiest when I’m with my friends, playing guitar and singing together. Luckily, a lot of my friends are also incredible musicians.
“Because I made this album surrounded by people that made me feel really comfortable, it never felt difficult. It only felt natural. Now that people are starting to hear the songs though, I’m realising that I have put some big feelings out there.”
Before going into the studio, she took inspiration from country rocker Lucinda Williams, former War On Drugs member Kurt Vile and America (“one of my favourite ever bands”), as well as Paul McCartney, Wings and Neil Young. Once she was in NYC’s famous Electric Lady Studios, she was drawn to music that felt rooted, earthy, and raw. “There’s a lot of acoustic guitar on the record, and a lot of gritty electric guitar,” Wolf said.
Wanting to make each track as strong and distinctive as possible (“I have ADHD so I never want any song to feel too similar to another, and I hate redundancy”), she ended up writing around 130 songs for ‘Mud’.
The ones that made the cut felt “emotionally muddy” but also achieved what Wolf and her collaborators call “SpongeBob Ascendance”, a reference to the meme where the animated sponge is listening to music so good, he’s literally floating towards heaven. “If a song didn’t have both of those feelings attached to it, we didn’t put it on the album,” she told us. “It’s the muddy SpongeBob record.”
“For me, when I hear a song that I really relate to, it helps me through my life. I hope people can allow this record to soundtrack the highs, the lows, their breakups and their triumphs.”
Check out the full interview below, where Wolf also talks about processing the shame of alcohol addiction, her experience of “raw dogging the hell out of life”, the healing power of making ‘Mud’, her “dream” of voicing a Pixar character in the future, and more.
NME: Hey, Remi. What inspired the different approach to ‘Mud’?
Remi Wolf: “I really wanted to turn a page for myself, make something new and keep experimenting with my shit. I’ve lived almost the entirety of my 20s on tour and by the end of it, I felt this disconnect between the music I was singing on stage and how I was actually feeling, which was very lost and very tired. When I started writing this album, I’d also just gotten out of a relationship that wrecked me. There was just so much that had gone unprocessed.”
What does the title ‘Mud’ mean to you?
“About halfway through the album process, I wrote the song ‘Covered In Mud’, which felt like the thesis of everything I wanted this album to be. It did feel like I was working through this emotional sludge. The beautiful thing about mud is that, as dirty, sludgy, awkward and gross as mud is, there’s a freedom to it. If you’re in the rain or you’re at a festival splashing around in the mud, you are free. All of those social contracts go out the window.
“Also, mud is of the earth. It’s cleansing, it’s full of minerals, and it’s exfoliating. There’s a reason people get mud baths. You get dirty so that you can get clean and refreshed. That’s how I felt going through this record – I am purging myself of all these feelings that had been lying latent inside of me for like a long time. Once I was done, I felt like a brand new person. This album really healed me in a lot of ways.”
Lyrically, what’s the story of ‘Mud’?
“I was processing a break-up, so there’s a lot of yearning and longing. I was also feeling kind of down on myself. I’d been on the road so much, and I felt very removed from my own body. I had gone through all these incredible experiences, but I hadn’t been home a lot. So I was asking, ‘How do I find home in my own being?’.
“There was a lot of shame about addiction, too. I’ve been on this long journey with sobriety since I was 23. Being on the road has always been tough for me, and I was using alcohol just to get through these really intense experiences of having to put myself out there every day, be in front of a crowd and being perceived. It got to be a lot for me. Just before I started writing the bulk of this album, I got sober again. Songs like ‘Bottle’, ‘Champagne’ and ‘Wine Drunk’ are about coming to terms with the fact I was done drinking.”
How are you doing now?
“I feel like I’m in a really good place with it. I went crazy on my mental health self-care [while making this album], which is so necessary. There are artists who get scared about taking care of their mental health because they think it will impact their music in a negative way. But it has only impacted me in the most positive way possible. Raw dogging the hell out of life can be tough at times, but it’s also beautiful to be present.”
Does this record feel more vulnerable than previous albums?
“Definitely. I really went for it. ‘I Won’t Cry’ is just me baring my whole soul, same with ‘Guess’. I don’t know if I feel brave, but I feel proud of myself for going there. In all of my music, I’ve always tried to be the most honest I could be at the time, and this time around, there was a lot to be honest about.”
You’ve released three singles so far – ‘Twiggy’, ‘Bottle’ and ‘I Won’t Cry’. How have you found the reaction from fans?
“It seems like people are really resonating with these songs in a way that maybe I haven’t experienced before. With other albums, it felt like fans liked my music because it was fun to play while they were getting ready to go out with their friends, but these new songs are really resonating on a deep, emotional level. And I’m honestly relieved because I was scared. This album is a sonic sidestep, and there’s always fear in trying something new. I felt like I was growing up when making this record, and the hope is that people will grow with you. So far, so good.”
You cameoed in Amazon Prime Video‘s Off Campus earlier this year – how was that experience for you?
“Honestly, I’d never heard of the book series when I got the email but whenever I’m in a situation where I don’t really know what’s going on, I ask my younger sister. She’s 22 and has read the entire thing. ‘You have to do this, it’s going to be amazing’, she said, and I trusted her. A month later, I was in Vancouver filming with the cast, and it was so fun. I’d never been on a television set before, but it reminded me of touring because everyone moves like one organism. The cast were all so nice and welcoming. It was such a great vibe. It’s such an awesome show too. When you sign up to do these things, you never know how they’re going to go but when it came out, it was absolutely huge. So all round, a great experience.”
Has it sparked anything in you?
“I was just playing myself, so that was a pretty easy role for me to take on. But I’d definitely love to do more TV. My dream role is to be a character in a Pixar movie, but if someone wants me in real life in front of a camera? I’m down.”
You premiered ‘Twiggy’ earlier this year by performing it live with Hayley Williams. Are there any plans to get in a studio together?
“I’d fucking love to. She is just an absolute beast and a queen. She’s so talented and the literal nicest person ever, so I’d love to get in the studio with her. I always love singing with her because we both are big belters with big voices, and there’s not very many of us who are screaming our fucking heads off every night. I’m sure it’ll happen one of these days. We’re always kind of skirting around it, and we’re both road dogs. Once we’re both done with touring and chilling in either Nashville or LA, I think it’ll happen.”
Remi Wolf’s new album ‘Mud’ is released this Friday (October 9) – pre-order/pre-save here.
