Introduction
Welcome to another music review, except with a twist. Instead of reviewing an album, I’ll be reviewing two EPs by none other than Julia Wolf!
Julia Wolf has been my favorite artist for the past two years, and I’ve been a fan for the past three. I’ll be reviewing her EPs “Julia” and “Wolf.”
This reflects a lot of her older music— she’s since switched genres and I’ve missed it a lot. Also,since she has blown up online, I feel like all I hear people talk about is her new era of alternative music.Her pop era was amazing too— it’s what made me fall in love with her as an artist. Just like my other reviews, I’ll be following the format of giving background on the artist, an analysis of the song’s meaning, my opinion of each song, and an overall review of the EPs.
Background on the Artist
Julia Jade Capello was born on July 14, 1995 in Glen Head, Long Island, New York. Capello grew up shy and was really isolated leading up to her late teenage years. It wasn’t until high-school that her music teacher encouraged her to start writing and performing her own music. This was the pathway into her pursuing music full-time.
When she first started releasing music, she went by Wolf until about sometime between late 2022 and early 2023. Then, she started going by what we know her as today— Julia Wolf. The name Wolf was actually inspired by Capello’s little sister, Cameron Capello’s imaginary friend when they were little kids. She thought it’d be a good stage name because it relates to her sister, and it symbolizes strength and protection.
Capello has released projects since she became an artist back in 2019. Her first EP “Julia” was released on Oct. 5th, 2020. “Wolf” then followed shortly after on Nov. 19, 2020. Capello’s first album “Girls in Purgatory” was released on Oct. 7, 2021; the “Full Moon Edition” (Deluxe Version) was released on Dec. 9th that same year. Her sophomore album “Good Thing We Stayed” wasn’t released until Jan. 13, 2023.
Capello’s most recent album, “PRESSURE” was released on May 23, 2025. A remixed version of the album by the artist 2DUMB was released on Oct. 31, 2025. She’s now on her “Deep End” world tour to celebrate her new single “Deep End,” and potentially, a new album.
“Julia”
Track 1: Pillow (10/10)
“And I know I’ll never change, always been this way”
“Pillow” is a song about who Julia Wolf truly is as a person. To represent her heritage, she speaks a little Italian in the song. She talks about her prioritizing her dreams, while also staying true to herself and her morals. She doesn’t care how people view her, knows what she wants in life, and knows who she is— an independent woman that works hard and keeps to herself. She doesn’t need to change for anyone to make them comfortable or to be liked.
I love the message of the song— I relate to it heavily. I always listen to this song to reassure myself and feel more confident and secure in who I am and what I’m pursuing in my life. I recommend this song to anyone else that needs those reminders every now and then.
I think it’s obvious that I love the lyrics, but I also think the beat matches the overall vibe of the song well, too. I like how Julia Wolf is able to portray her confidence and firmness in her vocals while also keeping it soft.
Track 2: Styrofoam Cup (10/10)
“I remedy the pain with the power”
“Styrofoam Cup” takes a different approach compared to “Pillow.” Julia Wolf is out of her usual element, at a loud party that she’d much rather not be at. She’s a more quiet, stay-at-home type of girl. But there’s a reason for why she’s doing this— she’s there because of a guy she likes.
Throughout the song, we get more short snippets of the frustration of this “situationship” She’s found herself in. Lines like “Keep me off the free trials” and “You call me and then you swerve” highlight this back and forth. The “styrofoam cup full of teeth marks” is supposed to represent her coping mechanism in all of this chaos she has found herself in.
I really enjoy listening to her tone and cadence throughout the song. I like the way it flows up and down in a sort of way. Listening to the story that she tells within the lyrics, I feel like I’m her at this party. It really does a good job at putting you in her perspective and feeling what she’s experiencing. If I remember correctly, for some reason I didn’t like this song when I originally listened to it. It’s now become one of my favorite Julia Wolf songs, and I’ll always recommend it.
Track 3: Chlorine (10/10)
“The nostalgia trips me up”
“Chlorine” is a song that reflects on simpler times, but also remembering that you have someone to support you in the present. Even if you feel like giving up, that person is always there to keep you in check. This supports Julia Wolf’s values of authenticity and honesty that she writes about in her other songs about her friends. The pool and the chlorine is to represent the washing away of all her worries and stressors.
This was the first Julia Wolf song I had ever heard, and it’s one of the best. Her vocals are always so clean and match the beat of the track well. Her harmonizing and background vocals pull the song together well. The lyrics are so down to earth and I love that type of vibe. This song makes me feel like letting go of all of my worries too, and reminding me that it will all be fine.
This song also reminds me of fun and good times with my friends, and I love reminiscing back on those times. It’s a good track to daydream to while staring out of a window when you’re on a road trip. I recommend just turning off your brain for a second, sitting up straight, and easing your spine while listening to it.
Track 4: Play It Safe (10/10)
“I just want more, but I’m feeling so stuck”
“Play It Safe” is about her frustration about not being able to actually feel true love. She so badly wants to experience it, but she just hasn’t been able to feel that spark just yet. She’dmuch rather play it safe while out at clubs or bars because she is aware that she’d end up leading someone on or getting her hopes up.She’s already done it before, so she doesn’t want to repeat past mistakes.
This is honestly my favorite Julia Wolf song ever— I will never get tired of it. I love how soft her vocals are and the emotion behind it. The emotion that I get from the song is kind of empty— it feels like a void. Makes sense because she’s talking about missing the capability to feel love in a romantic sense.
As I was going over the lyrics for this song analysis, I realized I don’t have any complaints about it. Like I usually complain about not having a good variety of lyrics, but this time I really do love it. She doesn’t say too much, yet her words speak volumes. Also, the song is under three minutes so it makes sense. I think the vocal layering is a really good highlight of the song. Also worth noting, her harmonizing also brings it together very nicely.
“Wolf”
Track 1: Ghost (10/10)
“Can’t mess with people who have too much time to kill”
“Ghost” is about a person being obsessed with you, not respecting your time, boundaries, and you as a human being in general. Julia Wolf values alone time and working on her music. Some people don’t respect her for not pouring all of her time and energy into them.
She doesn’t tolerate that and refuses to be fazed by anyone’s negative comments about her because of it. It seems like somebody in her personal life doesn’t have much going on in their own life and has zero emotional intelligence. That’s the complete opposite of her, which is why she resorts to ghosting them. She doesn’t need to pour her time and energy into people who won’t respect her own.
I really like this song, and relate to it quite a bit, despite being a person who does actually have a lot of time to kill. The vocal layering and overall production on this song is really good. Even though the lyricism is a bit simple, I think the message is still conveyed very well. I love the confidence that she’s able to portray in this song.
Track 2: Play Dead (10/10)
“If I play dead, will it give you life?”
“Play Dead” is about trying to avoid an ex-lover and any feelings you had or still currently have for them. It’s especially awkward for her because in the song, she talks about how they share mutual friends, hang out at similar places, and live in the same city. She is forced to see this person constantly and refuses to acknowledge them because of that awkward tension.
The memories linger, but she doesn’t want to actually think about them anymore. She tells herself things like “It was never love” to make herself feel better and so her ex doesn’t engage with her anymore either. She also feels as if it would be better if she acted like she doesn’t exist to make her ex feel better about the situation.
“If I play dead, will it give you life” absolutely destroys me each time, and I love it. The heartache in Julia Wolf’s vocals is so perfect. The lyricism is probably the best off of the EP, because of its detailed narrative aspect. Even though I’ve never been in this situation, the writing is so good that I feel the emotion anyway. I love how breathy the vocals can get, I truly feel like it adds to the message.
Track 3: Immortale (9/10)
“Some nights, I feel like I got nothin’ to lose”
“Immortale” is about feeling indestructible during your youth and appreciating those little fun moments in life. Examples of this in the song would be going out with friends, making impulsive decisions, and just living in the moment. The title and introduction of the song is written in Italian, because she wanted to give more tribute to her heritage like she did in the “Julia” EP.
Even though I don’t speak Italian, I still really like the song’s intro. It’s cool how she found a way to incorporate her heritage and personality all into one verse. The lyricism is relatively simple, but I like the relatability in it. Yet again, I love listening to her voice. I love hearing her fluent pronunciation in Italian, but also her flow in the rest of the song. I think “Immortale” is one of the most underrated songs out of Julia Wolf’s career back in her pop era.
Track 4: Captions (5/10)
“You can use my lyrics as your captions”
“Captions” is about another musician trying to copy her sound. As she started gaining more success, impersonators followed. To prove that she’s truly unbothered by this copycat, she wrote a song about it. She offers her lyrics up as a caption idea, already knowing they were going to try and copy her lyrics anyway. Her confidence shines in everything she puts out, nobody can do it like she does.
This is honestly one of my least favorite songs out of her whole discography. It’s not even that bad— I just don’t think it’s my vibe. I also don’t relate to it, so there’s a bit of a disconnect there. I find a lot of Capello’s music relatable, so this one is just very different to me in that way.
There was actually a very similar song that Capello put out on her album “PRESSURE” that I’m assuming is also about the same person. That song’s called “Pearl,” and I prefer that song over “Captions.” “Pearl” is everything that “Captions” isn’t. However, the beat, her flow, and her vocals in “Captions” are still pretty good. It’s ust not my favorite in this EP.
Final Thoughts
My final rating for “Julia” is a 10/10. For “Wolf,” a 9/10. Even though the last song on the “Wolf” EP is mediocre compared to the rest, the other songs are so good that it redeems the rest of the score.
Julia Wolf’s one of the best female vocalists in the music industry currently, and her music is very relatable. I listen to these EPs quite frequently, and I highly recommend them to everyone. Her pop style honestly feels like a breath of fresh air compared to most mainstream pop. These EPS are definitely two amazing highlights of her early career. Even though it’ll probably never happen again, I’d love for her to start playing these songs live again. Overall, I think the EPs are relatable, and a quick listen that’s worth your time.