Ashleigh Wulf, stage name Wulfer, released her first EP “Wulfer” on May 10th. With eight songs, the album sits at sixteen minutes making it an easy experience to listen from start to finish. Each track is perfect as a standalone, but together, they create a comfortable and well-blended experience. Full of intimate lyrics and technically perfected mixing, and accompanied by the steady sound of Wulfer’s rhythmic guitar, it’s the perfect blend.
Wulfer’s musical aesthetic parallels indie artists such as Alex G and Whatever, Dad through the dream-like escape from reality it provides.
While listening for the first time, I felt myself sink into my mattress and my mind escaping into oblivion. Wulfer isn’t just quintessential indie: it’s a feeling of deep rooted nostalgia. For me, it brung me back to high school and the spiral of teenage angst that is all so familiar. The melancholic yet contented feeling derived from the music lingered on me for days. To describe the album in one word, it is pure catharsis.
My favorite track, “White Noise Machine,” is a perfect use of layering, dreamy vocals, and guitar. Despite using simple acoustics, Wulf’s music is anything but simplistic. The instrumentals build upon her technical knowledge of the instrument and become a pillar for the song through its contrast to the soft vocals.
After listening to the album, I had the chance to talk to Wulf and learn more about her and her music.
Wulf, a 2024 alum of Berklee’s guitar program, started playing in middle school. Her sound changed a lot as she explored her talent. Before working on her EP, she played as a guitarist in her friend’s bands. After gaining more experience under her belt, she embarked on her solo journey.
Like me, “White Noise Machine” was also one of her favorite tracks on the EP.
“Both ‘Pill’ and ‘White Noise Machine’ are songs I’m really proud of. The creative production that I did, like the little voices and everything, was cool. I don’t consider myself a producer or anything so I am really proud of that,” she said.
Wulf shared that she, “Really love(s) Alex G and [that] he majorly inspired the whole album. Like the kind of DIY way it was recorded, and also in a song writing way. I was also inspired by local bands that make music like that.” As a Berklee college student, she noted that she is exposed to new sounds and gathers a lot of her musical knowledge from what she observes.
She also cited Julien Baker’s solo album “Sprained Ankle” and the shoegaze genre.
Wulfer is always writing new songs and plans to film live sessions of some of the tracks from the EP. Wulf plans to book some shows over the summer and will be posting upcoming concert details on Instagram at @wulferr.
A final note to fellow creatives from Wulf herself: “Don’t get caught up with making an idea perfect. Just get it out.”
CORRECTION: June 23, 2024
A previous version of this article contained an incorrect spelling of Wulf’s stage name, Wulfer. All other contents of the article remain the same.
