Finn Wolfhard Rides the Roller Coaster of Life in "Choose the later"
Photo: Gep Repasky
While he may be best known for his role as Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series Stranger Things, Finn Wolfhard is no stranger to making music. He’s been in two bands, Calpurnia and The Aubreys, and now he’s diving into solo music. Wolfhard announced his debut album Happy Birthday, set to release June 6 via AWAL, and has given fans a taste of what to expect with his new single “Choose the latter.”
Wolfhard’s foray into solo music was born from a self-imposed challenge to write 50 songs by the end of 2022. “I ended up writing a lot of terrible stuff, but a few of those songs I was really proud of went to The Aubreys. I started realizing a general theme in a lot of the other songs involving my identity, anxieties, nostalgia, childhood and loneliness,” the 22-year-old shared.
These themes are present in “Choose the latter” with Wolfhard singing, “If there was a choice to be scraping by / On my own time / I'd be stranded on ice / Been walking for miles.”Despite the acknowledgment of fears and anxieties in the lyrics, the song isn’t a hopeless downer. The instrumentation consists of electric guitar and driving drums, giving the song a perfect indie rock pep and energy.
The single’s accompanying video sees Wolfhard clicking through several Zoom greenscreen backgrounds, including the Golden Gate Bridge and a beach, before settling on a crazy roller coaster. Wolfhard “rides” the roller coaster's twists, turns, and flips all while singing along to his song.
As the Stranger Things chapter of Wolfhard’s life comes to a close, he reflects on both his music and acting careers saying, “Music for me has always been something that I can control. And while I'm really grateful for acting and for a long time, it really provided me that peace, it's just a different thing now that I'm an adult and that it's a career. I still enjoy it a lot, but when I am by myself and get to play guitar and write a song, it's a different kind of feeling I'm after.”
Watch the "Choose the latter" video below:
