Tattooed people definitely get a bad-rap sometimes, even in 2020. They are often thought to be perplexed, broken people-the oddballs. But more often than not they are very gentle and kind-hearted people. Sometimes the roles are reversed and it’s the naked-skinned folks who are the broken ones. You just never know these days and singer-songwriter Stevie Wolf has experienced all of this first-hand with an ex-girlfriend, who he wrote his latest song about.
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“I wrote ‘Ink’ about my ex, who was all tatted up from neck to ankles,” Wolf told American Songwriter. “The song came to me in the early stages of our relationship, when we were enthralled with each other and things were starting to get serious. I would get lost just staring into her tattoos; it was like she was wearing all of her life, her joys and struggles and everything in between, on her skin, for everyone to see. I thought that was super brave.
“I think there’s this stereotype of people who have lots of tattoos being broken and fucked up, rough folks with rough lives who you don’t want to mess with,” Wolf said. “But each of us is our own special kind of broken – at least I am.”
“So, I tried to put all that into this song,” he added. “The love I was falling into, the fear I was having, and everything in between.”
“Ink” follows the release of Wolf’s “Paper Maché Doll,” and both tracks are from Wolf’s forthcoming EP. The current single is composed of playful acoustic walk-down riffs accented by a myriad of background snippets using shakers, and pulsing static. Wolf’s pop-styled vocals are natural with a swaying melody that with the shakers, creates a super danceable song.
This is not Wolf’s first dive into singles. In 2018 Wolf released his debut indie-pop single “Who,” which was succeeded by the songs “Low” and “Yves Klein Blue” both of which landed Wolf slots on Spotify’s New Music Friday and US Viral 50 playlists. Wolf also received a write-up and interview with Billboard. Due to the collective success up to now, Wolf has over a million song streams on digital platforms.
Wolf’s successes and motivation have often been tested, but he has always found a remedy in music. As a child, Wolf was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and anxiety disorder and as he struggled, he quickly found solace and an outlet in songwriting, recording some of his first demos on his laptop. After a jolting and discouraging experience with a label A&R rep who took a listen to his music, Wolf began to feel disheartened and made a detour to the University of Oxford to study Economics briefly. And though he was doing well at university, Wolf could not scratch the itch to return to music, which led him to New York City to further pursue his dream. And after the release of a few singles, Wolf had a setback, while battling depression, persuading him to move home to Colorado. Reemerging, he now celebrates the completion of his forthcoming debut EP.
