Tuesday 7/28: Goodwolf—"Selfie"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the West Virginia band Goodwolf.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the West Virginia indie-punk band Goodwolf.
Goodwolf—“Selfie”
Eric Bennett:
Only an hour's drive from where I write this in Pittsburgh lies the small college town of Morgantown, West Virginia. It’s a city I know pretty much nothing about besides its music scene, and how often I see tours go there and somehow miss Pittsburgh all together. Crawling forth from that music scene is Goodwolf, a band headed up by Tyler Grady. Grady’s voice has a rough howl to it that was the first thing that grabbed my attention in their new single “Selfie.” I was skeptical based on the title, which I know is not something you should judge music for… but it’s called “Selfie.” Despite that, it's great! Every time it ended, Spotify tried to play me Antarctigo Vespucci, which is apt. It has the same high energy and charisma that they exude, complete with a big, sledgehammering chorus that feels engineered to get trapped in your head.
Eli Enis:
I feel pretty similarly about Morgantown, West Virginia. Never been, who knows if I ever will, but I have tried to experience the town vicariously through that scene’s most treasured export: Rozwell Kid. That fun-lovin’, big-riffin’, hook-slingin’ quartet have a whole city’s worth of charm in their catalog alone, and they’re the first reference point that came to mind when I heard Goodwolf’s “Selfie”—even before I realized he’s also from WV. In this track, the double-layered guitar leads with ‘80s hair metal bite are distinctly Rozwellian, so I have to venture a guess that Goodwolf is at least a little bit inspired by them, from proximity if nothing else. Tyler Grady’s voice also recalls the anthemic, chesty howl of The Menzingers’ Greg Barnett, and he sounds great belting out the hook of this crunchy morsel. Morgantown is doin’ alright.