Alex Warren – WILDCHILD (Album Review)

Alex Warren is cinematic and soulful on “WILDCHILD.”

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TOP 5

5. EMERALD EYES

The first track on Alex Warren’s WILDCHILD—“EMERALD EYES”—is the most danceable, with a funky bassline and energetic drums. Lyrically, it’s a pretty standard love song, and there’s nothing “out of the ordinary” there, to quote his record-breaking ballad “Ordinary.”

Before this, I was only familiar with “Ordinary,” so hearing this was a pretty sudden departure musically. I genuinely had no idea what to expect, and honestly, I think that’s a great way to open an album. It doesn’t fit perfectly with the rest of the tracks, but it doesn’t stick out enough to bother me either, especially because it’s simply a good song. I was dancing in my chair while listening, so clearly it did something right.

4. WILDCHILD

The final track of WILDCHILD is the song after which the album is named.

“WILDCHILD,” like several tracks on the album, is about Alex’s father, who passed away when Alex was nine years old. There’s a lot of grief throughout the album because of that. The track is filled with hope and gratitude, and it closes the album beautifully. It also ends with a fantastic guitar solo from John Mayer, who was Alex’s father’s favorite artist. An audio recording of Alex’s father is also featured on the track because Alex wanted to put the two of them on a song together, which I think is very sweet.

3. CRY WOLF

“CRY WOLF” is very different from the other songs on the album, and I think it’s a fun change of pace. WILDCHILD has very few moments of rage, but this song is genuinely angry. His ex hurt him in the past, and now that she’s crying for him to take her back, he’s having none of it.

The cinematic strings, powerful drums, and gospel-inspired choir vocals make the track feel incredibly intense. Alex calls her a liar, accuses her of playing the victim, and basically tells her that she’s already ruining her own life, so he doesn’t need to do anything to make it worse. This is a side of Alex we don’t really see anywhere else on the album, and it suits his deep, resonant, slightly raspy baritone extremely well.

2. ONLY THING LEFT

“ONLY THING LEFT” is an emotional track about a couple who has tried everything to save their relationship, only to finally accept that the one thing they haven’t tried, saying goodbye, is what they have to do. They’re both still in love, but they’re “out of fight,” and Alex doesn’t want to leave. At this point, though, it’s the only thing left to do.

The production starts quietly with guitars, gradually becomes fully cinematic, then returns to those softer guitars as the song fades out. It takes the track in a couple of different musical directions, which I really appreciate from this album.

1. Fine Place To Die

I immediately loved “FINE PLACE TO DIE” from the first measure. I could just tell it would be my favorite.

I love the inspiration behind this track. It’s inspired by how popular his music has been in the BookTok community and is from the perspective of Xaden from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, singing to Violet. I love when singers are inspired by books and movies.

His words pair well with the song’s cinematic production, which blends folk, gospel, soul, and pop. I have no idea what Fourth Wing is about, but I’m going to look into it now.

Separate from Fourth Wing, the song is about a couple as the world ends. Alex says that being in her arms would be a “fine place to die,” as per the title. This song is gaining a high honor: a place in my Dungeons & Dragons character’s playlist.

SONG BY SONG RATING

EMERALD EYES (4/5)

SAME STARS (4/5)

PASSENGER (4/5)

RESCUER (4/5)

CRY WOLF (4/5)

FINE PLACE TO DIE (4.5/5)

ARE YOU HAVING FUN, ALEX? (4/5)

I MISS YOU MORE (4/5)

ONLY THING LEFT (4.5/5)

FEVER DREAM (4/5)

WON’T GO BACK AGAIN (4/5)

LAST TIME (4/5)

WILDCHILD (4/5)

RGM RATING

(B-)

Something that stands out to me about WILDCHILD is Alex’s willingness to try different things. “ARE YOU HAVING FUN, ALEX?” is entirely an audio recording of his father, which also appears in “WILDCHILD,” while “FINE PLACE TO DIE” takes inspiration from book characters. I can tell Alex is making the music that moves him while also having fun with it. The style is cool, too: cinematic pop with hints of gospel, soul, folk, and even rock, all of which work really well with his powerful baritone voice.

At the same time, I don’t think Alex has a super clear artistic identity yet. Lyrically, most of the songs feel personal and autobiographical, particularly the ones about his father. Musically, though, I’m still trying to figure out what truly sets Alex Warren apart. I feel like there’s something there, but it hasn’t fully formed yet.

Alex clearly has the talent. Now, it’s about figuring out the artistic direction that makes him stand out. Everything on WILDCHILD is good individually, but as a collective, I think it’s missing that wow factor. There’s a lot of potential here, though, and I’m genuinely excited to see where Alex goes from here.

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