Hi everyone, Bigthony Dirttano here, the internet's dirtiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this new Remi Wolf album, Mud.

Singer, songwriter, producer, Miss Remi Wolf is back with her third full-length album. One of my most anticipated pop records of the year, mostly because I enjoyed her previous album, Big Ideas, so much.

And in the time since Big Ideas, Remi has been doing some pretty big things. Opening for Olivia Rodrigo, doing a really sick collab with Thundercat, also going through a massive breakup that seems to have inspired a lot of the writing for this album too, and hitting a point of burnout as well, personally and maybe creatively to an extent.

This record was also born out of a two-week writing retreat over in Nashville in 2024 as well, which you can definitely hear some of the country vibes from that seeping into some of the tracklist here. Then for recording it, I guess Remi assembled a group of collaborators and set up base camp in a log cabin at Big Bear, California, did some stuff over at Electric Lady in New York City too, and essentially hoped to create an album that had a little bit more of a campfire vibe to it and could be sung in three-part harmonies with guitars. Which I suppose does contribute to a more organic and live feel in comparison to the much more fuzzy, low-fi, and quirky DIY-type pop production on her previous records, especially during her Juno era.

More important, though, are, I would say, the substance and emotional angle of this record, as these songs, from what I understand, were a bit of an emotional outlet for Remi, making this maybe her most personal album yet, or at least the most emotionally charged. Because you can really hear how fed up and frustrated she was with some of the relationship dynamics that inspired these tracks in the lyrics and in the vocal performances. And the title as well is supposed to be a reflection of her emotional state during this time, kind of coming to us from a tumultuous, muddy, and dirty situation, and rising above it all, or growing out from it at the end of the day.

And it's an interesting contrast because instrumentally, production-wise, this is definitely her cleanest-sounding album yet. To the point where lead singles kind of took me aback because they sounded like Remi was trying to go for a bit more of an acoustic pop-rock thing, with a slight commercial country twist.

Of course I'm talking about tracks like "Bottle," as well as "Twiggy," where Remi's production sounds particularly smoothed out this time around. And while I don't think these tracks are nearly as colorful as her early work, I will say she does maintain a lot of her lyrical charms, at least. Giving us these in-depth descriptions of a romantic dynamic where she seems to be giving a lot but getting very little, and making funny references to this person's "Twiggy" butt as well as a nicotine gum from the CVS. And then eventually building things up into an emotional blowout on the bridge where it's hard to tell whether she's singing or just straight up screaming.

The biggest selling point, though, in the lead-up to this record was the track "I Won't Cry," which is an awesome slow burner featuring gentle drums, somber chords, and a vocal performance that really shows Remi's very underappreciated vocal chops on full display. I really do think when it comes to the pop landscape and the alternative pop landscape today, she's one of the best singers hands down.

But still, I had a fear going into this record that Remi would be losing me a bit on this one, and I had no idea just how lost I would feel until I heard the deep cuts. Like "Champagne", which brings more slick pop rock vibes to the table, and honestly feels like an oversimplification of everything I have liked about Remi's music up until this point. It's less textured, less interesting, less dynamic, less lyrically descriptive, and all doing it for a pop appeal that I think she already has.

Even worse, in terms of dumbing things down, though, has to be the track "Wine Drunk": "Baby, I'm wine-drunk / Baby, I'm wine drunk, for you." Really? Really? It's the worst of several tracks that, in my opinion, are just way too on the nose for her.

Meanwhile, "Burn Me Blue" sees us kind of getting a fuller view of country rock Remi, which wouldn't be a bad direction in concept, especially looking at how the charts are reading right now. But outside of some acoustics and a twang on Remi's voice, the track isn't giving all that much country. It reads a lot more like a 2000s-era family sitcom theme.

Then "Jamie" is a theatrical talk-sung number that I think Remi and her collaborators thought was a lot more charming than it actually is. The real-time experience of this one as you are moving through it is actually much more tedious. "Covered In Mud," another one where Remi can be heard singing in a slight Southern affectation. However, I'm just not so sure about the chorus burst of blaring, grungy guitars and kind of searing, tangy organ chords. It just feels like a mismatch, aesthetically.

And then, weirdly, also, in addition to all of this in the tracklist, we have a collab, a duet with John Mayer? I mean, I don't mind the song itself. It's actually one of the cutest tunes here, lyrically. With Remi describing, not meeting romantic expectations that are set too far high. Or at least, the goalpost is being placed in a really unreasonable spot. Why is the moon so high? I love that symbolism. It's actually endearing and quite poetic. But John, vocally, of course, brings absolutely no charisma to the table and thinks his understated, overly slick bravado is enough to carry his section of the song, and it's not.

Historically, Remi brings so much more character to the table vocally and instrumentally, and just so many moments on this record feel toned down. Even if there are some genuine, emotional, personal experiences informing a lot of the writing on Mud.

The final moments on the record are some of the most mellow, but still are relatively hit or miss. At least they showcase Remi's vocal talent and range, but it's not enough to save the album at the end of the day.

Because even if Remi continues to be, in my view, one of the most impressive singers in her lane right now, the production, songwriting, and lyricism, containing so much less personality, make Mud the most underwhelming of the three albums that Remi has released so far, and by a pretty wide margin, too. Which is why I'm feeling a strong four to a light five on this one.

Anthony Fantano. Remi Wolf. Forever.