Review: on 'Mud', Remi Wolf trades colorful funk-pop for guitars, faces a breakup and sobriety covered in dirt — and brings in John Mayer for a duet

Remi Wolf built her name on maximalist pop full of synths, colors and jokes — 'Hello Hello Hello' even soundtracked an iPhone ad. 'Mud', her third album, out Friday (Oct. 9) via Island, switches off much of that amusement park: across 11 tracks and 43 minutes, guitars and acoustic instruments take the lead. The cover, with the singer smiling under a coat of dirt, sums it up. The record came after the end of a two-and-a-half-year relationship and deals with touring fatigue, turning 30 — she calls it her 'Saturn return record' — and her relationship with alcohol and sobriety, a subject she has discussed publicly since 2020.

Its main strength is giving her voice room. Opener 'Bottle' and the restrained ballad 'I Won't Cry' show a more self-assured singer than ever; 'Twiggy' builds to an intense final chorus; and 'Jamie', the oddest track, drifts from near-spoken verses into an addictive outro. Fans missing the witty Remi will find her trademark clever lyrics on 'Wine Drunk', while 'Guess' reveals a soft folk side. The duet 'Moon So High', with John Mayer, is the album's big-name feature. Critics broadly agree: the AP gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and aggregator Album of the Year shows an average of 76.

The cost of the shift shows in moments like 'Champagne', which even the AP suggests skipping, and in a second half that loses some of the opening's punch. Still, 'Mud' is Remi's bravest turn yet: instead of hiding the mess under colors and effects, she leaves it in plain sight — and comes out bigger. Score: 7.5/10