Finn Wolfhard: "If you’re working in the circus, at some point you have to leave"

Finn Wolfhard might be used to magazine covers and red carpets, but today the Stranger Things actor looks more like a tech guy, holed up in what could be an office or radio booth, a pair of bulky headphones flattening his curls.

It’s a good look for Finn Wolfhard the musician. His songs – with his past bands Calpurnia and The Aubreys, or his solo stuff – have always painted a more laid-back picture of him; slacker, lo-fi indie rock as an antithesis to growing up in the Demogorgon-sized shadow of one of the biggest TV shows of his generation.

He’s a little tired but still polite when we call, preparing for the release of his second solo album Fire From The Hip and the subsequent tour.

“Trying to relax before things get chaotic,” he says. “Kind of in a limbo territory.”

The chaos of touring is precisely what unlocked the record. “I was touring [my debut Happy Birthday] with the backing band, and just thought ‘we should try to keep this energy alive’, because the shows were so fun,” he says.

To bottle that feeling, the band shacked up at Pachyderm Studios in rural Minnesota. It’s hallowed ground, being the place where Steve Albini and Nirvana recorded In Utero. Wolfhard talks about it with the reverence of the dyed-in-the-wool music nerd he is.

“It was originally an estate, then passed through all these owners, and so many records have come out of it,” he says. “The best way I can describe it is like recording at your great-grandparents’ log cabin that they built with their bare hands. You weren’t there, but you can feel this energy from that time. I’m not a person who believes in ghosts, but you can definitely feel it.

“To me it’s the best sounding live room of all time. Obviously the In Utero drum sound is the best drum sound on any hard rock record, so it was cool no matter what.”

A SENSE OF HUMOUR

The press notes cite the Stones’ Exile On Main St. and Beggars Banquet as sonic references (in truth, the record’s loose rock evokes as much of Pavement, or more obscure melodic indie like Teenage Cool Kids and Radiator Hospital).

“A lot of those early Stones records, or that Faces record, you could feel that it was a bunch of friends in a room hanging out, partying, then just recording it,” Wolfhard says. “Exile was recorded in France at a house, and you can feel that. But it also rocks.

“There’s a song on Fire From The Hip called ‘Common Side Effects’ that’s kind of Jeff Rosenstock gang vocals at the end, and there’s some country influence too. It’s pulling from all these bands and people I really like, and trying to do it in a way that feels authentic.”

Lyrically, the record is fluent in pop culture. Kanye West and Taylor Swift’s VMA moment gets a mention on ‘I’ll Let You Finish’, there’s a nod to Miley Cyrus on ‘The Climb (Not That One)’, and elsewhere

Wolfhard sings about taking boomers (slang for magic mushrooms) to feel like George Clooney.

“The Duffer Brothers, who did Stranger Things, their impression of me as a little kid was just going up to people and saying, ‘Have you seen this clip? Have you seen this movie?’ and everyone being like, ‘What are you talking about?’” he laughs. “I was constantly quoting pop culture in my normal life to try to connect with people. Movies and music and news is how I’ve always connected with people.

“There’s something awesome about taking a well-known universal thing and putting it in a new context. With ‘The Climb’, obviously that’s the famous Miley Cyrus thing, and then you’ve got a completely new song going along with it. It gives it its own life, but adds a sense of humour, a universal experience.”

The album’s title references Wolfhard’s own eager trigger finger.

“It explains impulsivity, this idea of having no fear in what you’re trying to do or say, and how that can be really commendable but also really stupid at the same time,” he says. “It explains a lot of my personality. Sometimes I’ll say stuff before I think. These two kinds of impulsive behaviour can be positive and also negative, I guess.”

DOUBLE-EDGED THING

The positive version results in albums. The negative is a daily hazard when you’ve been famous since you were twelve.

“I’ve been doing interviews all day, and I’ll say something so stupid that I immediately regret it,” he says. “We all say cringe stuff, but I say cringe stuff and the whole world sees it. So it’s definitely its own thing.”

You might not sympathise too much with celebrities, but the reality is that there aren’t many who understand that kind of constant attention from a young age. As well as the pop culture gags, the words ‘lonely’ and ‘alone’ are a constant across Fire From The Hip.

“My whole upbringing was being part of these found families,” Wolfhard says. “A lot of my childhood was touring with my band, or being on sets. But because it was so transient, you’d get to know a crew and then have to leave them behind. If you’re working in the circus, at some point you have to leave.

“I love people so much, and the reason why I think I’ve connected with making records is because of the connection that I get with people. It’s funny, touring or being on set - you do it and then you immediately have to leave. I’ve always grappled with that. Some of my closest relationships are the ones where I see them for a brief period of time. I don’t see them every day, or I don’t talk to them every day.

“I can easily get lonely in that regard. The whole reason I started to make friends and find a community was because of that. But then you have to leave. It’s this double-edged thing.

“There’s a small amount of people that know what that’s like,” he continues. “But at the same time, there’s a younger generation now that have been on Instagram their whole lives, and whatever they say online is seen by their peers. I feel like there’s almost a public figure thing with their generation too. It’s really odd how that’s all shaking out.”

• Fire From The Hip is out July 10.