Trippy Consciousness: Remi Wolf's "Woo!"
Words by Mallory Thompson
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
Remi Wolf has a chaotic energy that really comes across in her new song, “Woo!.” Based on the description in her YouTube channel, you can tell from first listen that you’re in for a wild ride.
Wolf says in the caption of her music video: “'Woo!' That’s the sound I make when I open up a pack of Gushers and vibe on a bish heavy like heheheh. Actually, though I literally wrote ‘Woo!’ as one stream of consciousness and don’t even remember what I wrote. It’s fun and cute and sparkly and INTENSE. The song is an ADHD explosion of my feelings on LOVE. Please listen to it while cooking, driving or showering!!!”
If this doesn’t sum up the song, I’m not sure what does. “Woo!” Is an explosion from first listen. The song has a cool alternative backtrack that drives the listener to question what they’re listening to. As Wolf describes, “Woo!” was written in one stream of consciousness, and it’s fully believable. This description also makes me want to pick her brain and dig into her discography even more. I feel like the thoughts that go inside this girl’s mind would make for a thrilling conversation. She has 2014 Vine energy that makes me think that she would’ve been viral during this era just based on her thoughts.
Throughout the song, Wolf combines a mix of singing and rapping that keeps listeners engaged. The song itself is hard to describe, as it feels like a spew of thoughts from someone’s brain. Sometimes clustered and wild, but overall, they appear coherent when put together. I was especially impressed by the vocal range of Wolf. She has a range that suggests she could sing a pop ballad, so it’s interesting that she chose more of an indie, alternative, psychedelic sound. It honestly makes me think of a song that you might enjoy while under the influence. It’s very trippy, and the cover art for this song also matches the energy you feel from the song and its music video. I’ll note that I also enjoyed the sound effects in the track including broken glass, sirens, and what sounds like an xylophone.
Now, as already mentioned, the music video itself is very trip-worthy. It feels like you’re looking inside someone’s brain who has been under the influence. It reminds me of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory combined with Sharkboy and Lava Girl. I also should note that the top comments on the video are the best, and they may have skewed my description. If I could describe the video by one comment it would be the top one: “This has a Sharkboy and Lavagirl cgi energy and I love it.” Once I read this, I remembered the energy of this film and immediately realized that this video captures the same energy.
Beware while watching this video, as it’s trippy and gives you a bit of a mindfuck. Based on the comments under the video, the feedback around it is extremely positive. I always think that when someone challenges the status quo and embraces their weirdness, I really vibe with it. This song is a bop, and I’m sure that this is just the beginning for Remi Wolf.
Throughout listening and watching, you’ll definitely question what you’re experiencing, and that’s perfectly fine. Remi Wolf has a wild energy to her, and it’s not something you’d expect, but it’s something that I feel audiences will embrace.