When I first listened to this EP, I felt that Stefan Wolf was opening up a personal diary and sharing a piece of his mind with me.
Creep No. 1 has a familiar pop cultured sound for me. It sounds like he had a lot of fun making this. The main thing I noticed about this song was Stefan's crafty way of carving his melody line into the music. I think it’s unique and flows fantastic. If I was to be picky, some of the sound effects in the mix override Stefan’s vocals a little too much for my liking, yet they are still relatively clear.
I am a fan of Stefan’s vocal tone. Because of this, I actually went and listened to other songs like “Three times is not an accident” and realised he has this really great timbre in his voice that I am only wishing I could achieve with my vocals. Now, if only I was a guy.
The second song is where his work becomes more instrument focused which is what I prefer. Single Woman starts with what I class as a very 80’s British sounding pop feel.
“She rules her heart with an iron fist. Claims that for her, love don’t exist”. This line conjures up all kinds of interesting images of what type of single woman, one would have to be in order to get to this point. That’s just the first line.
Rachel, the one I like the most on this EP. It’s real life, easy listening. It seems to come from a sweet, innocent confession of a guy who has a crush on a movie star Rachel McAdams, who starred in “Mean Girls” among many other movies. What I've just stated may seem corny but lyrically many can relate to the feelings portrayed in this song.
“The son of a classical pianist father and choir-singing mother, Stefan Wolf is on a wayward trip to pop music nirvana.” I think this sums Stefan up perfectly as does his bio in which he states, "Perennially unfashionable and virtually unsalable". Whether you like this sound or not, Stefan has certainly stayed true to himself. If you like this EP, you should definitely go and search more of his music. You may find some hidden gems you like.
The son of a pianist father and choir-singing mother, Stefan Wolf is on a wayward trip to pop music nirvana. An early single for Flying Nun (1987's I Could Hit The Ceiling by Stiff Herbert) was followed by the London-influenced Songs From The Basin Reserve in 1992. Sailor (‘Independent release of the year - Galway’) followed in 1999. Wolf then produced a trilogy of EPs charting incisive life events, culminating in Quiet! Can't You See I'm Dying In Here?, released in June 2012. A number of his ballads were remastered for 2015’s Brandnew Life, which also contained a clutch of new songs including ‘AIMA Best Pacific Video 2014’ winner On Your Side. Wolf has two daughters and lives in Paekakariki, New Zealand.